POWOW Fundraiser Fashion Show by Maddy Figueroa-Jones
The Millennium Hilton in NYC was the place to be on October 26th... Outside, pedestrians hurried home and traffic soared as it was the middle of rush hour. But inside models, designers, makeup artists and production crew were busy getting ready for the 1st Annual POWOW Fundraiser Fashion Show!
POWOW, the brainchild of Founder and Executive Producer Shanna Medenilla, is an organization who strives to boost every woman’s body-image and self esteem. This organization is inclusive of all body types, races and ages. While inspiring women to love themselves and each other they are also bringing awareness and fundraising efforts to The Cancer Lymphoma Society.
Designers included Rhea Nannan, Sandra Garratt, Tasha Hill (Big Girls United), Letisha McFarlene and Jonathan Alday.
Among the many models present at this event there were several plus models walking the runway that evening. Goddess models Jenny Kessler, Jainmy Martinez and Jeannie Ferguson represented Big Girls United in young and funky designs.
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Jeannie was also the only plus model that walked for the newest sensation to hit NYC Jonathan Alday. He chose this plus model to walk with him at the end of his collection. Yours truly walked for BGU and Rhea whose line is called Devikar. What set this designer apart was her use of masks on her models. Her sexy style is a mix of East Indian culture and Hip Hop. CEO of Devoe Signature Events, Gwendolyn Devoe, strutted her years of experience on the runway as well as plus model Tonya Giddens for Sandra Garratt designs.
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The crowd cheered and showed much gratitude for all the hard work and at the very end I was able to catch up with Marie McGregor. At the tender age of 16 she calls herself a survivor. She traveled to NY with her family for this special event and participated in the runway show as a special guest model. Her petite frame is in large contrast to her inner strength. Now that her cancer is in remission this teen is now involved in organizations which help teens cope with the ups and downs of cancer.
Shanna Medenilla the founder of POWOW was incredibly excited about the support she received from guests, media, sponsors and proud to be able to sign a check over to the Cancer Lymphoma Society. Why is self acceptance such an important platform? “While I was growing up I did not feel good about myself. I remember feeling this way and thinking that I wanted to do something about it when I was older.” POWOW includes all women in fashion.
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