JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A retrospective of fashion will hit the runway to showcase the work of a local designer.
Camillya Taylor, owner of Camille’s House of Styles Salon and Boutique in the Moxham section of Johnstown, is celebrating her 12th anniversary in business and will highlight fashions she has created through the years.
An exhibition of her work will be on display from noon to 5 p.m. Friday through Oct. 16 at ArtHouse6, 126 Walnut St., downtown Johnstown.
In conjunction with the exhibit, a fashion show will be presented from 5 to 9 p.m. Oct. 15 at ArtHouse6. Admission is $40.
“It will be a three-day exhibit, starting from stuff that I created in the beginning to where I’m at right now,” the Johnstown resident said.
“I am a fashion editor for Soul Pitt magazine, a runway coach, and I’ve done fashion shows everywhere, so the show will have models from all over the area – Johnstown, Huntingdon, Pittsburgh, York, Harrisburg and Lancaster.”
Fashions, photos
The exhibit will include 12 mannequins dressed in Taylor’s fashions, along with photographs of her work that she has taken and shots that were published in fashion magazines.
“There also will be things of what it looked like before and then going through the manufacturing,” she said.
“I work with a manufacturing company from Turkey, so you’ll see the beginning of it and what it becomes.”
In addition, the exhibit will include a documentary, detailing how in the summer of 2021, Taylor prepared and developed 12 Johnstown models for New York Fashion Week.
The fashion show will include 10 to 15 models wearing different sizes of clothing.
“There will be 30 outfits in three different sets, and all will have a different theme,” Camillya Taylor said.
“Some will be from the boutique, but other things will be pieces I’ve created. We just did Pittsburgh Fashion Week and I’d like to show that in Johnstown.”
Fashion themes
Themes will include futuristic fashions, urban couture and wild card.
Taylor’s mobile boutique will be on site for attendees to browse through and make purchases.
As part of the fashion show, Taylor’s 21-year-old daughter, Nia Taylor, will sing.
“This creates an avenue for fashion because there’s so many creative people here who can do so many things,” Taylor said.
She said Johnstown is not known for fashion, but she sees the industry starting to make inroads in the area.
“We’re pushing forward with fashion in Johns-town because there’s such a demand for it,” Taylor said.
“I also own a café (The Lounge Café) and we did a coffee crawl and found out that the bus driver was a designer and she designed for her kids. There she is, but there’s not an outlet.”
Her goal is to create an outlet for models and designers.
“I’m looking to create a modeling agency and possibly a venue where we’d be able to do fashion shows and work with designers,” she said.
“I’d also like Johnstown businesses to connect with models and use them to create more professional marketing. When you’re a small business, you might not know where to go for that, so I would like to help other people with their marketing just by using models.”
Networking party
As a way to unite those in the fashion industry, Camille’s House of Styles Salon and Boutique will host “The Collab,” a networking party, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 22 at Studio 32, 32 Walnut St., downtown Johnstown.
The event is open to photographers, videographers, models, makeup artists, hairstylists, designers and artists who will work together to create portfolios, composite cards, music videos, commercials and photos for a website.
“I want to bring creative people together,” Taylor said.
“Everyone is coming with a plan, so I might hook up with a videographer, a designer and makeup artist and we see what we can come up with, and then once we’re done, we’re going to post on social media and tag everybody in. You may be from different areas, but you’re creating an audience, so it’s working hand-in-hand and networking on a broader scale.”
Her goal is to connect people so they can take their careers to the next level.
“For me, I had to travel and I spent a lot of money trying to meet people, so here you’ll be able to come into one space, and I hope to connect people with the right moving parts,” Taylor said.
The cost is $100. Registration can be done by sending your name and contact information to thecollab46@gmail.com, and a reply email will be sent.
For more information, call 814-659-0706 or visit Camille’s House of Styles Salon and Boutique’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/camilleshouseofstyles.
