THE CONFESSIONAL SHOWROOM X NEBULA NYC

THE COSMIC DREAM

REALITY VIRTUALLY

By Marcus Gregory Blassingame

It’s February 2023 and not to mention Super Bowl Season and the competitive tension is at an all time high. It’s also NY Fashion Week, so while The Philadelphia Eagles posed a pretty big threat and appeared to be a formidable challenge to Kansas City, so did the elements and energy pose as such for the Confessional Showroom’s CEO Johnny Cohen. Coming off of a win from his first ever NYFW Sept 2023 show, despite all of the trials including learning curves, capacity, inclement weather on the Serafina In The Sky’s outdoor deck, it was an excellent event. Through trials and tribulations, a quality vessel will stand the test of fire.

For The Confessional Showroom, Fashion Week 2023 is equivalent to Super Bowl and they realize the importance of this moment. With so many shows, so many experienced producers, so many following his original platform, Johnny, the owner realized that the greatest challenge was to challenge himself.

Triumph Through Tribulation

The first thing Johnny realized from his last show, that the venue must reflect his taste, his status, his clientele and the capacity of his network. Great friendships and business relationships, a charismatic personality and the tenacity to achieve resulted in the moment that availed The Confessional Showroom to celebrate like The Kansas City Chiefs over The Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl IIIV 2023.

Fast forward to Valentine's Day, my crew Bethany Chasteen, Rafael Yau Lee, London Knight and I drive up to an extremely long line at NEBULA, New York’s premier night venue (which you almost have to know an international leader to be invited). Despite the volume of attendees, the line moved pretty swiftly and as VIPs we were whisked straight in but friends who where not press immediately followed.

Once inside the entire space was aligned with plush VIP couches (as opposed to the standard folding metal chairs at most shows) so the runway ran in a circular format. The mood was set for more of a rock concert than a runway show with high tech lighting equipment, giving the hall an artistic visual of color.

The DJ platform was set up like a Skrillex or DeadMaus concert overlooking the plush seating while enormous LED screens replaced the entire cathedral style, high ceilings with the brilliance of Time Square billboards.

The lights go dark….

A rhythmic electronic beat simular to a propeller chopping through digital air sped up and slowed down…

The sounds explode into mixes of House Music, Dub Step with Rave blends as the LED screens illuminated the sky with post apocalyptic yet futuristic fashion/art visuals of models in futuristic style and modern light effects. It was truly a party scene out of the "Ready Player One" movie (a film about the Metaverse).

The brilliantly elegant and alluringly sexy designs of Haleia (Instabul born designer Hale Baykus) opened the runway show with a superb diversity of models in an Alice In Wonderland meets Wonder Woman empowered energy. The Video and show was masterfully imagined, Key Styled and wardrobe directed by Alabama born, Ohio raised Sean Dustin and the show was produced by NY’s own Looks By Lunden (who shared his curation of style on one of the beautiful African talents). This collection lit up the runway equally rivaling the fabulous LED digital introduction prior. Internationally Exhibited, Haleia brings a global aesthetic to her Instabul Atelier. Inspired by her journeys beginning with her life experience in Instabul her designs refresh the fantasy of fashion with the power of feminine elegance.

Haleia set the stage for The Confessional's leading fashion men; Catou, Hardcore+Fashion, Jevon Terance and Nazarene Amictus….