Ville Magazine l Insider Access for City Lifestyle Mar/Apr 2016 / People Issue | Page 28

One part of your company mentors the next generation
of fashion entrepreneurs. What are you able to provide
to them to push them in the right direction?

A-DOT is connecting young fashion entrepreneurs
with mentors to help them build the industry
here around their wants and needs -- from
providing mentors, facilitating events, and creating
opportunities for productive industry collaborations.
Another part focuses on eco-friendly practices in
fashion. What do you think is the biggest issue right now
with fashion sustainability?

Photo: Hami Bahadori

You have been involved with fashion all over
the world from modeling to producing. Why
did you get involved with the fashion industry
here?

THE

CREATOR

AVA HOLMES FOUND HERSELF IN SEATTLE
WHEN THE U.S. EMBASSY GOT HER OVER THE
VANCOUVER-SEATTLE BORDER WITHOUT ANY ID
AFTER HAVING ALL OF HER BELONGINGS STOLEN
IN CANADA DURING ECO FASHION WEEK.
While writing her own book about her event
planning philosophy of the four elements,
she interviewed over 100 industry leaders
and realized that there were at least three
major gaps in the industry here that she felt
she could impact and create a collaboration
between the art forms for which Seattle is
known—film, art, music, technology, etc.,
as well as mentorship and sustainability.
Her future vision for A-DOT Productions
became a reality initiating her movement
in the city with recognized leaders in the
industry and mentoring those who will be
influential in the future of Seattle’s fashion
industry.
28 l VILLE l PEOPLE ISSUE

I attended Eco Fashion Week with a vague
vision of bringing it to the U.S. When my
belongings were stolen out of my car,
including the computer with the content
for my book, I still attended Eco Fashion
Week that night, showing up in all that I
owned—the gold silk Thai jumpsuit on my
body and black converse chucks on my
feet. Luckily, I recognized one of my favorite
bloggers, Lorainne Stoodley, who gave me
another jumpsuit and helped me celebrate
my new found “freedom” before driving
back to Seattle. Since then, I have rewritten
a large part of my book and am on track
for the first publication this spring. I have
become very close with the Eco Fashion
Week family and look forward to bringing
this event to Seattle. I have also continued
wearing a jumpsuit every day since then.

What is A-Dot Productions, and what is the
vision behind it?

A-DOT was originally a vision for the
future. The timing of moving to Seattle,
conducting interviews for my book, and
the opportunity to rebrand myself and my
production work - couldn’t have been more
perfect. The company was built by the
community and founded on collaboration,
mentorship, and sustainability. We have a
three-year plan to become the number one
sustainable fashion production company.
This year is all about branding.

Where fast fashion and technology meet,
sustainability is the most fascinating realm of fashion
currently. These are often seen as mutually exclusive.
Fast Fashion is responsible for an average American
throwing away 68 pounds of waste annually.
Harmful chemicals used in model technology
are responsible for toxic pollution and deaths to
many in the workforce. With documentaries out
like The True Cost and events such as Eco Fashion
Week, more people are beginning to understand
these issues and shift their consumption to more
eco-friendly alternatives. But what does this really
mean? We are now seeing that these issues, though
terrifying, may actually have a hopeful future on the
horizon. The pinnacle of the future in this realm of
fashion is right here in Seattle.
How would you describe the current fashion industry
here in Seattle, and where do you see it going?

It’s a mess, but it’s also hopeful. We have incredible
events and revolutionary wearable technologies on
the horizon. Seattle is about to be what I like to call
the “Wild West Coast of Fashion Technology,” and
just like the pioneers of the Great West we have the
opportunity to build this industry.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about
fashion in Seattle?

That it has no fashion industry, when it is actually the
4th largest fashion industry in the country according
to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Though the
flagship of industry here is Nordstrom headquarters,
we have the fourth highest concentration of
designers, and the city is home to several notable
European and Asian fashion houses. Seattle also
has one of the richest histories of how the city’s
style has evolved. My favorite comment on Seattle’s
influence on fashion was by Gerard Parr when he
was in Milan in the 90’s and saw a Seahawks jackets
in Versace’s window display. To me, that’s a strong
global industry influence.
What is one goal you hope to accomplish in 2016?

One goal? There are several “biggest” ones: to get
Eco Fashion Week running in the US, publish the
first copy of my book, and raise $100K for Hoja
Nueva, a conservation nonprofit through a fashion
event called Runway to Peru this May in Seattle.