“This exhibition is a glimpse into the fascinating history of the region’s fashion industry and the people who made Tucson a special place to live,” says TMA CEO Jeremy Mikolajczak. “It includes the work of some of the most famous and historic local retailers, fashion designers and artisans, and at the same time presents an interesting portrayal of how contemporary influencers have a profound effect in Southwestern style.”
The local style encapsulates the independent spirit and fashion nuances from iconic retailers and artists like Cele Peterson, Dolores Gonzales and Ted DeGrazia, and family businesses like Levy’s, Jacome’s and Steinfeld’s, who share a strong sense of place, and integrate elements of street style, high fashion, cowboy and Native American and Mexican cultures into global fashion trends.
Adding to the fashion scene are retailers Dark Star Leather, producing bags, wallets, and leather belts, and three generations of silversmiths and jewelers from the Patania family, which continues to create refined artisan pieces to support the local fashion industry.
Guest curator Paula Taylor is the co-owner and producer of Tucson Fashion Week, and has an extended history in the fashion industry as a retailer, fashion executive and educator in the Southwest and around the world.
The exhibition will include educational events as well as a limited-edition exhibition catalog available for purchase and end with a fashion show. There will also be photographs by New York-based celebrity and portrait photographer Henny Garfunkel, as well as Puspa Lohmeyer, Steven Meckler and many others. One of the educational events will feature a retail panel on Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. and explore the idea of place and how it has directly affected changes in marketing, curating and designing throughout the decades.
The event is free and open to the public in support of the museum’s Free First Thursday program. In collaboration with Film Festival Tucson, Paula Taylor and TMA will co-present the Arizona premiere screening of House of Z, on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 9 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Tucson. Tickets are $10 and available via FilmFestTucson.com.
