Fashion in The Big Apple Part of a New Beginning for Talented Victim of Hurricane Katrina
In the face of life’s unexpected hardships, sometimes the greatest challenge is to stay positive. Saran Bynum is the personification of this ethic. Saran became an orphan as a baby, taken in by nuns in her native Saigon and then moved to America after she was adopted by a Louisiana couple at the age of 2. She made New Orleans her home where she eventually worked as an arts advocate, helping to create careers for other artists. Then, Hurricane Katrina turned her life upside down.
Like so many others who survived that catastrophic event, Saran lost almost all her possessions and found herself displaced, ending up in New York City. After writing an inspiring story about her journey to the United States and surviving Hurricane Katrina, Saran was chosen as a subject for TLC's “Cover Shot” before-and-after television show, and this has given her a new outlook on life. With
newfound self-confidence and new creative inspiration, Saran has decided to make lemonade from lemons and continue her arts career in New York. Since moving to the Big Apple, Saran has been painting, making and selling jewelry, and completed acting classes with Madelyn Burnes Casting. Recently Saran was featured in an article in the New York Daily News."I want to use my talents to inspire others and show people, that no matter what obstacles life gives you, stand strong, and learn from what happened in the past,” declares Saran. “You only have one life, so live it to its fullest and use your gifts to bring a smile to others."
“I was standing on the corner of 8th Avenue and 50th Street gazing at a beautiful billboard of a lady in a stunning blue gown seated in blue water,” says fashion show producer Andres Aquino. “I noticed a woman standing alongside me also looking at the billboard and I said to her: ‘You look like the woman on the billboard.’ I did a double take and asked her, ‘Is that you?’ She replied with a beautiful smile: ‘Yes.’”
Referring to the water theme on the billboard, Mr. Aquino asked Saran if she had not had her fill of water since the hurricane.
“Water seems to give me peace,” Saran replied, “despite the fact that water was the very thing that took everything I had.”
And so they began to chat and Mr. Aquino loved her story so much and was impressed with her exotic looks (she is a mixture of Asian and African-American) that he invited Saran to take part in one of his fashion shows.
“I am delighted to have Saran model in our Champagne Fashion Brunch show,” notes Mr. Aquino. “Her story is my story and the story of so many others who came to this country with big dreams and a positive outlook and have overcome many hurdles. Her motto is especially inspiring: ‘My heart is smiling right now.’”
Saran will walk the runway at the Champagne Fashion Brunch show on October 29. Fashions at the show will be by Washington, D.C.-based designer Laura Williams.
Shawls by New York designer Iris Rothman and jewelry by Glam NYC will also be showcased. The event will be held at La Prima Donna Restaurant, located at 163 West 47th Street - a stone's throw from Times Square - in New York City. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. for a delightful afternoon of champagne, gourmet Tuscan delicacies and beautiful fashions. Tickets and more information are available online at http://www.champagnefashionbrunch.com
USA International Fashion Shows, created by Andres Aquino, produces an exciting series of runway fashion shows year round including CoutureFashionWeek and other luxury fashion events featuring both national and international designers of couture and finely tailored garments and distinctive accessories. Events are co-sponsored by Fashion Syndicate Press, founded in 1997, and serving the press with photos and feature articles covering fashion shows in all major fashion capitals. Its web site, www.fashionshowroom.com is one of the most visited fashion portals on the internet.
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