FALL RIVER — Five past and current students at B.M.C. Durfee High School huddled around a table layered with visions of their brand ventures. A graphic tee sunned itself front and center. A fully functional denim bag rested near a fan of booklets promoting it. Families and friends streamed in. Vanson Leathers’ heritage racing suits hung from rafters above their heads.
Thursday evening saw the showroom at Vanson brimming with support as the Fall River Museum of Contemporary Art founders, Brittni and Harry Gould Harvey IV, introduced five summer students and spoke in admiration of the unique textile accomplishments presented by the student fashion designers upon completion of an eight-week summer residency.
Brittni Harvey, who teaches at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, met most of these inspired teens through a pre-college program that provides Durfee students greater access to educational pathways beyond high school curriculum offerings.
Both Brittni and Harry are practicing artists who believe in the social and community-building aspects of art — having run FR MoCA for four years and hosted numerous exhibitions of contemporary art — and that’s when the gears started turning.
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Vanson invited in these young people — many captivated with the clothing style of the 1990s — so they were able to see ongoing manufacturing with tried-and-trusted machinery, allowing many to use a sewing machine for the first time to assemble their visions.
While analog machinery may be taking a backseat in the advent of newer, swifter factory production in the textile industry, showing students the ropes to create their imagined garments “is the future,” said Kim van der Sleeson, wife of Mike van der Sleeson who kickstarted Vanson 50 years ago.
Long known for its motorcycle gear, Vanson has itself become a fashion icon, its designs attracting admirers as diverse as NBA superstar LeBron James, R&B singer Alicia Keys, punk legend Joey Ramone and fashion designer Ralph Lauren.
Not only did Vanson Leathers provide time and space to students and their craft, but they also hoped to leave students the memory of an exemplar, long-established and revered textile operation.
“You don’t need to go to Paris, New York, or Los Angeles. You can do it right here,” van der Sleeson said.
Fashion school: Five students, five-hour studios, one day each week
The outcome: the unisex denim bag made “for everyone, everywear,” presented by Brooke Tabicas next to a customizable printed T-shirt, credit of Jayvyn Mosela. A mannequin sported a shirt emblazoned with lyrics penned by Mosela as well.
Of the five presenting the fruits of their labor, Branden Pinero and Khalil Roldan came wearing the apparel they produced — Pinero in a pair of jeans, the pockets of which are “the best part,” he said, and Roldan in cargo shorts featuring two styles of camouflage.
Tabicas also introduced her own brand “Just B.E,” a creative take on her initials. Similarly, Mosela forwarded his own clothing label that centers around “making a statement,” and, more profoundly, individuality and community impact.
Johnathan Pinero draped a denim jacket over mentor Dylan Matsuno’s shoulders, calling the piece “Adaptation,” named for the trials and transformations the garment saw during its construction.
“Every week has been different,” Brittni Harvey said. “It’s been a really exciting time to see them producing something long term.”
She led the students in five-hour studio sessions one day a week, giving them a taste of the intensity of classwork in art school.
She added that as the summer progressed and students flocked to their fashion projects in lieu of free time, she and those involved with the collaboration with Vanson “have had to pivot to support their visions and helping them find a creative practice. It’s been a lot of one-on-one mentorship.”
Working artists mentor Fall River students
Asked if he would mentor students again, Henry Hawk said, “Definitely,” as folks attending the showcase dispersed, exchanging congratulations and enjoying refreshments.
A recent graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design, Hawk mentored students this summer alongside Matsuno. Together, their seasoned technical proficiency and creative network bolstered the students’ knowledge and confidence.
“Henry and I collaborated on some jeans that eventually got posted online. We didn't really tell anyone,” Matsuno recalled.
But the timing was essential. Students slotted for the pre-college program interested in fashion were shown that photo, and that’s also what triggered the idea of summer programming.
Matsuno, who graduated from Parsons School of Design in 2020, said he knew of FR MoCA, but said, “I haven't really worked directly with anyone, so this whole process actually was the prototype.”
Giving artists from a working-class city a way into the fashion world
More than that, the model of direct mentorship and partnership with schools and businesses aims to upend typical barriers to entry in the art world.
Fall River lends itself to this approach, which involves wholesale inclusion and access to young artists looking to break into the industry. This summer program, aligned with the parent values of FR MoCA, seeks ultimately to bend to the various needs of students in the community.
“We're unique in the fact that we’re an artist-run museum,” said Harry Gould Harvey IV, adding that the museum is also a reflection of the working-class area. “Usually, art has a philanthropic structure which comes from the top down, not from the bottom up.
“I like being a resource that has a direct connection to the global art economy," Harvey said. "It feels like today was a really good example of how all these individuals who might not have access to abundant resources now can engage with the global economy with freedom.”
The replacement of those resources via the pre-college summer program, in tandem with Vanson Leathers, offsets the collective efforts of the community dedicated to supporting youth programming, hosting young artists, and celebrating artistic enterprise in Fall River.
“We can make plastic tools that can bend to the different needs of the students in the community,” Harvey said, citing how, when it comes to the fabric of the industry, a fashionable reimagining is called for.
