Mask masquerade
Dallas celebrities and designers put their best face masks forward for charity
A timely new exhibition and fundraiser in Dallas will showcase the accessory du jour for 2020: the face mask.
More than 50 celebrities and designers have created masks for "Fashion Meets Mask," an exhibit and virtual auction that will raise funds for scholarships to aspiring fashion designers.
The display will be on view for free at Galleria Dallas, November 5-30. Then each mask will be auctioned off online to benefit the Dallas chapter of Fashion Group International, a nonprofit that provides scholarships to fashion design and fashion merchandising students across North Texas and the region.
“Since its inception, our scholarship program has awarded nearly $1.5 million to worthy students seeking education in fashion design and merchandising,” says FGI regional co-director Rhonda Sargent Chambers in a release. Each year, she adds, the Dallas chapter awards more than $60,000 in scholarship funds.
Most of FGI's funds normally are raised through galas and other events. But, like most nonprofits, FGI Dallas was forced to cancel its biggest annual fundraiser, called Night of Stars, until 2021.
Local and national celebrities who have donated masks include former Cowboys Troy Aikman and Darryl Johnston; actresses Morgan Fairchild and Linda Grey; visual artists Jeremiah Onifade and Lea Fisher; Dame Zandra Rhodes, the British designer who has clothed everyone from Diana, Princess of Wales to Freddy Mercury; and fashion designers including Kay Unger, Venny Etienne, Lela Rose, Alice and Olivia, and Erica La Flore of Erica Dawn Woodmore, a past FGI Rising Star nominee.
Dallas media personality Steve Kemble says to create his colorful sequined mask, he worked with a company called Any Old Iron. "They are amazing," he says. "They're based out of Nashville and do most of the stage outfits for Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, and more."
The public can view "Fashion Meets Mask" on Level One of Galleria Dallas, near Banana Republic, and then bid online using the QR code onsite at the exhibition or by visiting the auction site here.