With the fashion back on hangers, the runway disassembled and the fire poofers put away (for now), we wanted to take a moment and thank The Crucible community for helping make our second Hot Couture fashion show even hotter, more creative and dynamic than we dared imagine.

We could not have put on two sold-out nights of fashion, fire and industry without the talents of our featured design teams including Alex Glowaski, Annamarta Dostourian, Avant Vouge, Bonde, Erin Mahoney and O’Lover Hats, Coyote Counter Collective, Heather Wakefield, Jeaneen Brunck, Latex Fashionistas, and SENSOREE Design Lab. Thanks to Bianca Starr Productions there was a method to our madness which showed off beautifully on the recycled aluminum stage donated by CASS.

Jeaneen Brunck design. Photo by Chris Willis.We are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support from the press which included a front page feature of the San Francisco Chronicle Style Section. Hot Couture was also the Editor’s Pick at Diablo Magazine, East Bay Express and Flavorpill, and enjoyed positive reviews from Oakland Magazine, Oakland North, Oakland Local, Mercury News, Makezine Blog, Fecal Face, Examiner and Just Luxe Living.

Were you inspired by what you saw at Hot Couture? Want to learn sewing basics? We have a class for that! How about lighting up your wardrobe with LEDs for the summer party season? We can help you demystify that Light Emitting Diode. Want to make fashion forward jewelry? Learn to design, anneal and shape a special piece, which until now only existed in your imagination. Or perhaps you want to get up on stage and dance with fire? – You’ll want to sign up for a Fire Performance class where you can learn to hoop, spin and even eat fire.

Come and join the fun!

Photo on right by Chris Willis. Jeaneen Brunck design.