Interview: Anna Lee of Voltage Fashion Amplified
Stacy Schwartz
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Like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, the blow-out party that is Voltage Fashion Amplified is one of those hybrids that just makes sense. Now entering its fifth year, this mash-up of live music and fashion is one of the best places to catch what’s hot right now in the Twin Cities, with both runway models and live bands showing off the latest from local designers. The 2009 edition looks to be bigger than ever, moving from mid-week to a prime Friday-night slot at First Avenue. Always a benefit, this year Voltage supports parent organization MNfashion’s plans to create a sewing co-operative to buoy designers in these tough times. Decider caught up with Voltage producer and MNfashion executive director Anna Lee to talk about the market and the power of rock.
Decider: What was the impetus behind Voltage?
Anna Lee: I think Voltage came out of a lot of people feeling frustrated with what was going on with the fashion scene, where you would just do a fashion show and then that would be it, nothing would come of it. When you come down to it, a fashion show is a marketing tool and you need to be marketing something. The last several years we have had a design panel that the designers meet with monthly to talk about the line and define who their customer is and make it into something that’s going to be feasible in the Minneapolis-St. Paul marketplace.
D: When you thought of bringing in live bands, was that driven by a desire to bring in a larger audience?
AL: No. I got really sick of doing fashion shows where people would just show with a DJ—nothing against DJs, there are some great DJs here. It’s just a little more impersonal, and I have always loved the music scene in the Twin Cities. Live music has always been one of my biggest inspirations. I go to a show and I feel the energy. Your brain functions differently. I don’t know if [Voltage] could have [been] such a successful event if we had not brought in the connections to the music scene. I remember the first year we did it, we had people saying [sarcastically], “Aah, good luck, I’m looking forward to seeing how that works out.” Now people are like, “What can I do? How can I get involved?” That’s very gratifying.
D: Is designing for a band the training ground for doing a runway show?
AL: It is a foot in the door for a lot of designers. A lot of the band designers will attend the runway designers’ meetings so they can really benefit from the things these designers are learning as well. Another reason why people start with designing for a band is they’re not ready to put out a collection yet, or perhaps they do menswear and it doesn’t fit in [with the rest of Voltage]. Nix that: Every year we have some menswear, but we find that the women get a lot more excited.
D: Last year there was only one full menswear line.
AL: And what did you think of that line?
D: I’m going to take my answer off the record.
AL: Okay, exactly. This year, Mercurial Rage’s designer is Birk Stefan Grudem, and he’s going to be doing a collection specifically for them. It’s a design that more men in this area can relate to, [and] commit to that screen-printed T-shirt.
D: It’s easier for guys to get into sportswear and ready-to-wear as opposed to any kind of couture.
AL: Yeah. [But] designing for a band: Give those guys a look and then sell your collection. I think Birk does really well with his collections. We sold him at the holiday retail store and he did very well.
D: Do you encourage a mix of sportswear vs. couture lines?
AL: Absolutely. I think that people are going to respond better to the sportswear although I think we need [couture]. I think as a designer if you can create a more ready-to-wear version of your couture then you’ve got it made. You’ve got something that’s stunning on the runway but then people find they’ve got something accessible they can purchase.
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