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This Friday at Machine Shop in Minneapolis, a distinct piece of the Twin Cities’ past will encounter its present, as a revival of Metro Magazine’s Fashion Fight Night event takes to the ring after a 15-year hiatus. Reimagined by local runway production duo Amy Seeman and David Kisan, the event invites some of the state’s top fashion stylists to face off in a makeshift boxing ring, where they will construct looks live before an audience and an industry-experienced panel of judges.
“There has been a long lapse in the program,” says Kisan, a third-generation florist and owner of floral experience company Sip N Bloom. “It’s become almost like an urban legend in Minneapolis, and we’ve been eager to bring it back and put our own spin on it.”
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Kisan, who has been involved in many local runway productions, saw the concept’s potential to make runway fashion feel more accessible, inviting guests to step into the creative process alongside stylists. Through this deconstructed experience, his hope is to foster a unique spirit of collaboration and involvement.
“Fashion show productions tend to focus heavily on the individual,” says Kisan. “It’s rare that we get a chance to work collaboratively together in one room like this.”
Through this collaborative spirit, the production duo also sought to elevate local brands and businesses in the boxing ring. Rather than asking stylists to bring their own wardrobe materials (as was protocol in the event’s past iterations) Seeman and Kisan have partnered with three local retailers to compile clothing racks—Bumbershute, Grethen House, and MartinPatrick3. Seeman, a personal wardrobe stylist herself, has worked closely with these boutiques to build curated selections that will resonate with the competing stylists’ unique aesthetics.
“The stylists will not have visibility to the clothing before they get in the ring, which adds a fun twist to the competition portion,” comments Seeman. “We really hope guests leave with an introduction to at least one new brand, business, or talent to support in the future.”
Photo by S305 Photography
As competing stylists race to their shared clothing racks, Kisan believes the inherent drama of fashion will be on full display, inciting the same suspenseful engagement that a real boxing match might.
“I just love the spectacle of it, the drama of fashion,” says Kisan. “Everyone will be all dressed up to see a revived program that hasn’t been around for years, and I think it will really bring the community together and shed a fantastic light on the talent that exists in this town.”
Visit Sip N Bloom’s Instagram page (@sipnbloom) to view the full list of competing stylists and judges (among which you’ll recognize Minnesota Monthly‘s own Style Editor) and secure your limited-availability tickets to Fashion Fight Night.
