Art, Music, and Fashion Take Center stage at "Out to Launch"

June 8, 2010 - PRLog -- Washington, DC – On Saturday, June 12th Madia Willis, Founder of BiriBelle Clothing will launch her accessory line through collaboration with milliner Crystal Little at the Amber Tree Gallery located at 122 Waterfront Street, Oxon Hill, MD 20745.  This event, aptly named Out to Launch, spearheads the National Harbor’s Food & Wine Festival.  The event features a live musical performance by vocalist and Smart Chicks, Inc. founder Carolyn Malachi and deep house played by Laroc Cartier. Out to Launch is sponsored by Bluffa Jo Cosmetics, Eye Catching Entertainment, and Authentic Art DC. This event is free to the public, however, advanced RSVPs are suggested, please visit http://outtolaunch2010.eventbrite.com to make reservations.

Out to Launch promises a fantastic evening of fashion, art, and live music at the National Harbor. Bluffa Jo Cosmetics will display cosmetic makeup art on models provided by Eye Catching Entertainment. Attendees will enjoy complimentary food and beverages while dancing the night away to the eclectic sounds of vocalist and Smart Chicks founder Carolyn Malachi and her live band featuring Slyce D, and DJ Laroc Cartier spinning. The event will feature an exclusive Bloggers Lounge, where on site media can live blog, tweet and share details from the event.  Attendees will have the opportunity to peruse the debut Crylittle for BiriBelle hat line on models serving as live mannequins. Along with viewing the fashions, attendees will be able to observe an array of authentic African and African American art exclusive to the Amber Tree Gallery, guest curated by Ms. Sharon Burton of Authentic Contemporary Art.

BiriBelle represents the smart, sophisticated, well traveled, confident, and cultured woman who transcends racial and social barriers.  Designer Madia Willis’ Liberian heritage and a study abroad trip to Ghana inspired her to create the afrochic clothing line. Since 2004, Willis has been fusing traditional West African fabrics with vintage and bohemian style, sharing her intricate and unique pieces in the DC Metro area and surrounding states. Willis’ work has been sold in local DC boutiques such as design coop DEKKA, featured in DC’s fashion week, and received accolades from print and online media outlets nationwide.

Crystal Little’s appreciation for culture and vintage influenced millinery skills personify the BiriBelle woman, so it was only natural that the two designers came together to produce what is sure to be a fresh and eclectic collection. CRYlittle designs have graced the heads of many women of the church, horse race aficionados and women of varying distinctions. Little brings passion and six years of talent and design to the collaboration of Crylittle for BiriBelle.

About Madia Willis & Biribelle:
Madia Willis, the founder and designer or BiriBelle Clothing, is a native of Oxon Hill, Maryland by way of Liberian parents whose hobbies included DJing and collecting vintage hats and clothing. Willis, a graduate of Columbia University, earned a BA in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations in 2004. Biribelle has exhibited at the DC Passport to Africa Trunk Show, Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Afropunk festival, DC’s Octoberfest, Harvard Business School Africa Conference, Columbia University African Economic Forum and 2008 DC Fashion Week, to name a few. In 2008, Willis was one of the highest selling brands at DEKKA, DC’s only design co-op. Madia will further her fashion experience as a student at Drexel University’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design in Philadelphia, PA, in the Masters of Science in Fashion Design Program.

About Crystal Little & CRYlittle:
Crystal Little, owner and designer of CRYlittle Designs, has been creating hats professionally for six years.  After studying fashion design and fine arts in college, Crystal worked as an assistant at Christine A. Moore Millinery in New York. Little traveled around the fashion and bridal circuit as a freelance milliner and has created hats for many brides, ladies of the church and frequenters of horse races. In 2008 Little moved back to her hometown of Washington, DC to open her own studio and showroom, which is currently located at 464 Taylor Street, NW.  CRYlittle Designs' timeless hats are now seen at Eastern Market on Sundays, boutiques, and specialty and gift stores throughout the DC Metropolitan area.

About Carolyn Malachi & Smart Chicks:
Hailing from the Prince George’s County/Washington, DC /Baltimore region, Carolyn Malachi is a vocalist, producer, writer and Founder of Smart Chicks, Inc. Malachi, who is the great-granddaughter of legendary jazz pianist John Malachi, has created her own modern infectious genre of music. Combining jazz, hip-hop, and spoken word, Malachi calls her brand of music "haute eclectic soular blues." Malachi’s debut album was titled “Revenge of the Smart Chicks,” her follow-up album was "Revenge of the Smart Chicks II: Ambitious Gods," and her third album dropping in July is "Lions, Fires & Squares." The first project spawned a movement, a blog, and the non-profit organization Smart Chicks, Inc. Smart Chicks is dedicated to developing visibility and leadership opportunities for women in the arts. Carolyn is currently a resident artist at BloomBars, a community arts space in Washington, DC, and is the recent recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council 2010 Individual Artist Award.

About Amber Tree Gallery:
Amber Tree Gallery specializes in original oil on canvas pieces, framed silk thread art, hand carved wooden furniture, stools, masks, jewelry and art made of a variety of precious metals and stones. Currently the works of Akili Ro Anderson, Anthony Armstrong, Charles Bibbs, Lee Davis, Calvin Coleman, Bip Diggs, Albert Fennel, Candy Gordon, Jennifer Grinnell, Samuel Gurmu, Tim Hinton, Kadir Nelson, George Nock, Chuks Okoye, Sabrina Walters and Ann Williams are available for purchase.  

The media are encouraged to cover this event. For more information on Madia Willis and BiriBelle please visit www.biribelle.com; for Carolyn Malachi & Smart Chicks visit www.smartchicksinc.org, www.reverbnation.com/cmalachi; and www.ambertreegallery.com for more information on Amber Tree Gallery. For press and sponsorship opportunities, information on the Bloggers Lounge, or to RSVP your blog, please contact Christina Alexander at AmplifyIMC@gmail.com and Simone Jacobson at simone.jacobson@gmail.com , respectively.

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