FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: (847) 709-6331 or Heidi@curesma.org
Heidi Roy, Development Officer
New England Chapter, Cure SMA
www.CureSMA.org
“Cure SMA Boston Gala Night of Fashion & Music” – A Fundraiser for the New England Chapter of Cure SMA
Dedicated to improving quality of life for children and families affected by spinal muscular atrophy, the New England Chapter of Cure SMA is hosting its inaugural Boston Gala, A Night of Fashion & Music, kicking off with a VIP Reception with local SMA doctors and researchers, followed by a fashion show featuring 3 Boston designers, and music by a local, classy band.
Join us as we view amazing fashions by Samuel Vartan (Samuel Vartan Collections), Kim Pham (Kim’s Fashion Design, www.kimsfashion.com),and Lori KC (Lori Kyler Christensen Collection, www.lorikylerchristensen.com). You’ll also be treated to a cash bar, hors d’oeuvres, inspiring speeches, a silent auction, and not-to-be-missed raffle items. Stick around after the show and dance to the tunes of Eddie Pasco & The Festival.
This is an exciting opportunity to see local fashion designers, meet with local SMA Doctors and researchers and raise vital funds for SMA research. Your presence and contributions will further our mission to get one step closer to a world where spinal muscular atrophy is preventable and curable.
Who: Cure SMA, New England Chapter
When: Saturday, October 15th, 2016, 7:00pm to Midnight
Where: Whitney Hall, Holiday Inn Brookline, 1200 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA02446
Why: A fundraiser to support Spinal Muscular Atrophy research.
Get Your Tickets & More Info @ events.curesma.org/2016bostongala or 1(800) 886-1762.
Featured Designers: Samuel Vartan, Lori KC, Kim Pham
What:
* General admission: $60 Includes complimentary hors d’oeuvres; Cash bar.
* 7pm - 8pm: $125 VIP reception with complimentary wine & hors d’oeuvres, and chance to speak with local SMA Doctors and researchers.
* 8pm – 10pm: A fashion show featuring the acclaimed designers Samuel Vartan, Kim Pham, and Lori KC.
* 10pm – Midnight: Great music by Eddie Pasco & The Festival.
Evening:
Festive attire; Complimentary hors d’oeuvres included.
Tickets sold online and at the door. Advanced purchases encouraged.
Info, tickets, donations, and sponsorship:
events.curesma.org/2016bostongala or 1(800) 886-1762
SMA
SMA (spinal muscular atrophy) is a disease that robs people of strength by affecting the motor nerve cells in the spinal cord, taking away the ability to walk, eat, or breathe. It is the number one genetic cause of death for infants.
Cure SMA
Since 1984, Cure SMA has led and invested in the research that has made today’s breakthroughs possible. With deep connections and expertise in both the patient and research communities, we’re uniquely positioned to direct funds to where they can make the greatest difference as quickly as possible.
15 Second PSA for “Cure SMA Boston Gala Night of Fashion & Music”:
Attend “Cure SMA Boston Gala Night of Fashion & Music”,
A benefit for the New England Chapter of Cure SMA,
Saturday, October 15th @ The Whitney Hall, Holiday Inn Brookline
Get Your Tickets & Info @ events.curesma.org/2016bostongala or 1(800) 886-1762.
30 Second PSA for “Cure SMA Boston Gala Night of Fashion & Music”:
Attend “Cure SMA Boston Gala Night of Fashion & Music”,
An inaugural event to benefit the New England Chapter of Cure SMA and SMA research,
Saturday, October 15th @ The Whitney Hall, Holiday Inn Brookline.
VIP Reception with local SMA Doctors & Researchers @ 7:00pm,
Fashion Show @ 8:00 pm, and Dancing until midnight.
Featuring designs by Samuel Vartan, Kim Pham, & Lori KC,
Music by Eddie Pasco & The Festival,
Complimentary hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar,
Inspiring speeches, a silent auction, & a raffle!!
A fundraiser to support Spinal Muscular Atrophy research.
Get Your Tickets & More Info @
events.curesma.org/2016bostongala or 1(800) 886-1762.
60 Second PSA for “Cure SMA Boston Gala Evening of Fashion & Music”:
Attend “Cure SMA Boston Gala Evening of Fashion & Music”,
An inaugural event to benefit the New England Chapter of Cure SMA and SMA research,
Saturday, October 15th @ The Whitney Hall, Holiday Inn Brookline.
VIP Reception with local SMA Doctors & Researchers @ 7:00pm,
Fashion Show @ 8:00 pm, and dancing until midnight.
Featuring designs by the acclaimed Samuel Vartan, Kim Pham, & Lori KC,
Music performances by Eddie Pasco & The Festival,
Complimentary hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar,
Inspiring speeches, a silent auction, & a raffle!!
A fundraiser to support Spinal Muscular Atrophy research.
Don’t miss this opportunity to mingle with local SMA Doctors and Researchers, and hear about the breakthroughs in the ongoing efforts to Cure SMA!
Samuel Vartan Bio
Samuel Vartan didn’t look for fashion. Fashion found him.
Samuel Vartan was born in Athens, Greece. A few years later, his family moved to Beirut, Lebanon and finally to Montreal, Canada where he has lived for most of his life before coming to the United States in 2003. Having studied illustration and communications in college, Vartan did not set his sights on fashion at first.
As a teenager, Vartan already had a strong sense of style and spent most of his money on clothing—pushing the closet space in his family home to the limits. Always playing music as part of a band and passionate about illustration and film, the idea of fashion design did not begin to creep into Vartan’s consciousness until his first job working on window displays at a retail-clothing store. Putting things together and experimenting with different combinations became his favorite responsibility.
Around the same time, Vartan made the connection between music and fashion when he tagged along with a musician friend who was being fitted for stage clothes. Vartan became enraptured by what the designer was doing and tried sketching his own designs.
He smoothly translated his skills as an illustrator into fashion design and quickly began running a business out of his parent’s home: working on sketches in his bedroom and bringing designs to reality at his mother’s kitchen table. Friends, musicians and even the model/waitresses from his favorite café were soon wearing his designs. By 1998 Vartan had earned tremendous accolades and won the support of the fashion community at his first official show.
Vartan’s designs are highly personal. His history as a musician, illustrator, animator, film lover, and world traveler culminate in each and every piece he creates. He debuts his collections twice a year as Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer.
His Fall/Winter collection, known as “dark city,” is about being a musician, growing up in the 1980’s, living and breathing rock and roll and city night life. It’s as gothic and cool as Paris, Prague, Berlin, and London after dark. Nestled into his choices of leather, suede, cashmere, tweed, satin and velvet are whispers of the art deco movement, film noir and the classic architecture of Europe’s oldest cities.
Spring/Summer shows us the lighter side of the designer. Nicknamed “Mediterraneo,” this collection is a nod to his birthplace in Greece, but also travels to places like North Africa, Turkey, Italy, Spain and the South of France. Soft hues of blue, white and gray are punctuated by rich orange and red, reflecting the rustic beauty of the culture, architecture, music and food of a coastal vacation. The smell of salty air mingles with swirling chiffon and relaxed linen, taking the wearer on a journey to the place of Vartan’s birth and beyond.
No matter where Vartan chooses to travel in his designs, he remains true to his sense of style. Heavily influenced by the refined, well-tailored, classic styles of the early 1960’s, Vartan’s collections are not influenced so much by current trends as they are by the designer’s sense of style. Looking back to timeless female icons like Sophia Lauren, Vartan cuts his clothes with a kind of elegance and minimalism that simply enhance the wearer rather than stealing attention from her.
KIM PHAM'S BIOGRAPHY:
Kim Pham's story begins far in Can Tho, Vietnam. She grew up the second youngest of 10 siblings. Growing up very poor and in such a big family, Kim learned very early on, she had to fight for everything she had. Her early childhood struggles instilled in her a strong work ethic, survival skills, and compassion for others around her. Although the family had very little, all the siblings were blessed with the talents to sew. Kim grew up as an apprentice for all her older siblings while they ran their flourishing family business of tailoring and fashion designing. At its peak, the famous Hiep Thanh Tailoring Shop employed 35 employees.
Kim met her husband, Minh, while working in Can Tho. After the Vietnam War everything changed for the worse. After serving 5 years as a prisoner of war, Kim's husband fled to America in the first boat. She continued working hard as a designer and making more connections to leave Vietnam with the hope of joining Minh and to start a clothing store in America.
She personally arranged for three ships to flee Vietnam with about 500 people. People in her three boats now live all around the world, in the United States, Europe, and Australia. Kim escaped Vietnam on the last boat, holding over 130 with her son.
Kim's dream began in Brighton with a dry cleaning and tailoring shop, and then after two years she moved to Chinatown of Boston. Kim's footholds in the American Dream slipped away as quickly as the came. Just as she was growing and becoming recognized for her artistry work as a designer, a fire burned her whole store down along with the whole block. Without fire insurance, the only tangible piece of her life left amid the ash and rubble, was her sewing machine.
Deftly maneuvering the one machine that fueled her passion, Kim slowly rebuilt her business. With help from her adoring husband, talented son Tin, and the community, Kim was able to rebuild her Chinatown shop. Through word-of-mouth, Kim built a loyal clientele who not only longed for quality custom fit pieces, but for wedding dresses.
The demand for her services led to the opening of two more stores, one in the high end Copley Place, and another in the heritage-rich North End. With high-profile clients like Yo-Yo Ma's Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Preservation Society of Newport, it's no wonder Kim is in talks to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show!
Step into Kim's Copley Place store, a small unit no bigger than a bedroom, and you're immediately engulfed in a rainbow of rich silks and oriental luxury. What sets Kim's apart from other couture shops is not just the value, but the time, energy, and personal touch Kim puts into each of her pieces. Kim can take one look at a celebrity wedding gown and reproduce and interpret it into her own creation that will fit the customer to a T. one of her more well-known dresses is an interpretation of the gown Nicole Kidman wore at 2004's Golden Globe Awards.
Kim continued to work twelve to fourteen hour days, seven days a week, to satisfy the needs and desires of each of her customers. But despite the long hours and all the setbacks, you'll never hear Kim complain. Kim hopes to one day make her name a household name as a designer.
A Brief History of Kim's Fashion Design:
Kim's Fashion Design opened in 1990 in Chinatown of Boston. Kim Pham was an unknown commodity in the fashion industry. She toiled many years without profits. Her continued persistence paid off as satisfied customers spread the word about her unique store. The humble store that started out mainly selling and designing Asian clothing has evolved into high couture fashion. She took a major risk opening her store without anyone's recognition's. New discerning customers discovered that they have unlimited freedom in their designs of clothing. Customers of all shapes and sizes, men or women, can find anything to fit them. Kim will make all your designs come to life. You can truly have an outfit that no one else in this world has. If you cannot pick a design, Kim will consult with you and design an outfit all your own. If you need anything to complete your outfit such as scarves, shawls, handbags, obi belts, matching shoes, jewelry, she can assemble and customize anything for you. Kim's Fashion Design opened up a second location in the upscale Copley Place Mall in 2002. New trendy designs, tops, jackets, dresses, and gowns with little Asian influences make up the couture collection at her Copley Mall location. Kim continued to bring excitement and satisfaction with every customer. She has participated in many different fashion shows in Boston. Kim's Fashion Design is arguably the best design and custom clothing shop in Boston.
Lori Kyler Christensen Bio
Lori Kyler Christensen is the creator and designer of Boston-based couture clothing label Venni Caprice, She is the co-owner of the lifestyle brand Zero Fox Life with Kayla Harrity, and designs and produces their custom women's fashion line as well. She is an entertainment reporter for Dirty Water TV, a show that airs on NESN in New England. LKC also sings and plays a mean tambourine in the band Dick, Nick & Chick Justice at venues around Boston.
Keep an eye out for Christensen’s next moves.
Here contact is:
Lori Kyler Christensen
Designer & Owner
lorikylerchristensen@gmail.com
lkc@vennicaprice.com
www.lorikylerchristensen.com
www.vennicaprice.com
508.344.2877
