“Fueled By Energy, Driven By Action,” the theme of Friday’s Student Fashion Show at the Palm Theatre, could as easily apply to all of Telluride Fashion Week.
For that matter, the expression could also apply to the strength and support this community gives back to the Telluride AIDS Benefit (TAB), which sponsors the student shows, the flurry of events coming up this week and the trio of uber-fabulous, locally-loved galas next Thursday through Saturday in Mountain Village.
The annual, sold-out shows are more than merely chic and a blast to attend: They support the nonprofit’s mission, which is saving (and bettering) lives by fighting HIV/AIDS.
“We have over 100 models in the Student Fashion Show this year,” Jessica Galbo, TAB’s executive director, said. “Having over 100 local students participate in a single, peer-to-peer event is kind of unmatched” anywhere else. “These kids go out into the world, and become ambassadors for the cause. They never forget” this experience.
The Student Fashion Show tonight — Feb. 14 — is in the Palm Theatre. The trio of fashion galas next Thursday-through-Saturday are held at the Telluride Conference Center, in Mountain Village. Though arguably the highlights of this busy week, the shows are not the only chance to learn more about TAB — and get a sense of the passion and urgency its supporters bring to this cause. There will be a free benefactors brunch, a gala after-party, a post-gala sample sale and more. And coming up Feb. 21-22, there will also be a pair of pop-up shopping events in Telluride Arts’ HQ Gallery, with retailers not only from Telluride but the surrounding region, including Ouray and Ridgway, participating.
“We love to lift up our local independent artists and designers,” Galbo said. “TAB’s mission is human services, but the way we do it is through the arts, and by collaborating with artists.”
Over its 31-year-history, restaurants and shops in Telluride have also become crucial collaborators with TAB, and its cause. “If you look at all the people that give, we have over 250 volunteers, 65 adult models and close to 100 students participating” in Fashion Week, Galbo said. “Every restaurant is involved, and every clothing shop; I don’t think there’s one that isn’t donating something. Nobody ever says ‘no.’ If you think about why everybody wants to be in Telluride, yes, it’s beautiful.” In this case, the beauty is more than skin deep: Fashion Week represents creative people harnessing art, music, fashion and more “for an amazing cause,” as Galbo put it, “on the shoulders of all of this goodwill in town.”
The good news for those who would like to attend the galas is, “We’ve added more tickets this year” to the three shows that begin next Thursday night. Even so, “The Saturday show will probably sell out by Monday. It is on track to sell out,” Galbo said. “People should look at the seating each night” at tellurideaidsbenefit.org “and see what suits their budget. I recommend that you secure your seats soon. If none of these shows works, you can volunteer and attend for free” (email [email protected] if you’d like to do so).
The theme of this year’s galas is, simply, “Iconic,” a word that applies to seminal musicians, fashion designers and others who have supported HIV/AIDS eradication through groundbreaking compositions, designs, performances and more. The word also applies to TAB itself — the nonprofit is going strong three decades on — and, Galbo noted, the town’s strong support for this cause. So strongly do Tellurideans feel about TAB, and the good that it does, that New York City choreographer Laya Barak was inspired to relocate to Telluride after directing these shows.
“The Gala has become a massive show — a huge community event — since founder Robert Presley first picked the inaugural fashions from the Free Box” (which is itself another local icon), Barak said. “The show will open with a blend of Robert’s iconic looks through the years that we have reimagined in a more avant-garde way. We’ll highlight and pay tribute to those designers who came before us — Chanel, Versace, Givenchy — with our own incredible locals and visiting artists,” adding “our own Telluride spin” to the performance.
“I got a taste of this three years ago,” when she first arrived in Telluride to choreograph the galas, Barak added. “I got to know Telluride through this show; the fabric of this place, the community, is what drew me here. This year, we’ve really upped the choreography and the dancing for these performances. So many talented people are involved,” along with contributions from musicians “who are icons in their own right, or have been activists and stood up for those fighting for their lives — from 30 years ago to now.”
For a complete list of Fashion Week events, to purchase tickets for the Fashion Galas or to learn more about TAB’s mission and to make a donation, visit tellurideaidsbenefit.org.