By KELLY MCGRATHLocal New York fashion designer, Zahq Goode, collaborated with the Rodale Pleasant Park Community Garden on Wednesday Sept. 11 to bring fashion and the arts to the local community while also honoring the memory of those lost on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, terrorist attacks of 2001.
Goode lost two family members in the attacks, one a firefighter, the other, a volunteer who fell sick years later. This gave the event a special significance to Goode, whose collection featured pieces inspired directly by the firefighters and volunteers who were there in 2001.
The free event was advertised as a fashion show with an emphasis on the remembrance of 9/11 and strengthening of neighborhood ties, but some audience members were left confused by a multitude of unrelated performances and an unclear timeline.
The show was to begin at 6pm with the reading of a tribute poem about 9/11, followed by a moment of silence. It didn’t begin until 7:30 pm with spoken word poet and motivational speaker, Kamal Speaks, performing several poems about women and physical intimacy. There was a moment of silence at the beginning, but for women who respect themselves rather than for 9/11 victims.
The fashion designs were inspired by the garden’s natural elements, the city environment, as well as 9/11’s fallen heroes. Unfortunately, by the time the models took the runway, the sun had set and there was only enough light to see where the models entered, making it difficult for the audience to appreciate Goode’s designs.
During intermission, various rappers performed. One, Mike Hayes, was particularly emotional rapping about the recent loss of his brother. In his lines he claimed to have a weapon on him at that moment, leading some in the audience to leave.
After several hours the show circled back to 9/11 and finally concluded with the reading of the 9/11 tribute poem and a moment of silence.
Goode, the founder of the Goode Fashion Institute, aims to “democratize fashion,” through attempting to create an accessible place for artists and fashion enthusiasts to gather and collaborate drawing parallels to the YMCA. His central mission is to “create opportunities for individuals who want to tap into their full potential and express themselves both intellectually and creatively,” likely explaining the seemingly random performances.
The Rodale Pleasant Park Community Garden organized the event. What differentiates this community garden from similar gardens in the city is its level of accessibility to non-garden members. Jennifer Johnson, 28, is not a member of the community garden but lives in the neighborhood and frequents it often. “I love this place,” Johnson said, “It’s quiet, it’s nice, and most of these community gardens don’t let any non-members in.”
Established in early 1990s, the garden was in disrepair until 1998, when a neighborhood based social services group, Little Sisters of Assumption, began to clear the space and plant high-yield and nutritionally dense crops for community members.
In 2003, the garden underwent further renovations thanks to the collaboration of community members and the New York Restoration Project, or NYRP. Together they installed additional vegetable beds, provided comfortable common areas, and a number of eco-friendly amenities to further elevate the garden. Johnson said that the crops grown in the garden are then shared by members to those in the neighborhood.
For Johnson, her attendance at the event last night was in her words, “pure happenstance.” “I was just walking by and these guys said yo, do you wanna see a fashion show?” said Johnson.