The Brizo Jason Wu Experience

So, wow, where do I begin? First I have to send a thank-you out, to Pamela Rodriguez for nominating me to Brizo to be selected to attend an, all-expense paid, trip to New York City for an Amazing Fashion Week event.

I have to say that when I was first contacted by my long time twitter friend Pam, @pamdesigns, I half-heartedly shrugged my shoulders and replied with “Sure count me in”, wink wink, thinking how or why I would be selected for whatever this Brizo thing was. In the message from Pam there were a few links to previous attendee’s articles, and I admit I was curious enough to check them out. Looked real, sounded real, and thought to myself, nah, really? do I honestly believe they will pick me? So I sent Pam a reply say sure I would be interested, sat it aside and didn’t give it another thought – ok one other thought, How nice it was that this person whom I have only known through our connection on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, would think of me and second thought was wow this internet thing brings out all the crazy scams…HA!

(Laughing out loud now for real) -

How silly I thought those thoughts were when I boarded the airplane to New York City, and then chuckled to myself again as I was texting home to my friends from the backseat of the black Lincoln town car that was driving me to the hotel – compliments again of Brizo. Yep, that’s right when they said “Transportation provided” I assumed I would be schlepping my bags across the airport looking for the out of the way location of hard to miss advertisement wrapped courtesy van corral.

Side Note (before we get to the really good stuff) -

You know when you are traveling in the airport and you get to baggage claim after the three mile walk from the terminal, then you stand like a robot at the carousel waiting for your bag to come tumbling out on the conveyor belt. And you wait, and wait and wait and finally it spits your bag out and you are praying the zipper doesn’t break tossing your personals about because you over packed. When finally you see your bag, relief sets in because it is still intact and then you have to juggle the carry on (because it wouldn’t all fit in the suitcase) as you try and get through the crowd of other robots to pull it quickly off the moving mechanism. All the while thinking how amazing that your bag arrived to the exact spot I am standing one bag amongst thousands. Oh and then the schlepping it thought comes back to you after you strained your back getting it off the carousel. Ok let’s fast forward - I think you know what I am talking about.

Thanks to Brizo all that was taken away for me the moment I saw this man dressed in a black suit holding a sign that said BRIZO. I knew in that instant I would probably not be the one trying to maneuver the luggage carousel. I always see those little signs with people’s names on them waiting to pick someone up and secretly think, “Oh how nice it would be if that sign had my name on it”. Well ok so it didn’t have my name on it but I knew it was for me when the sign said BRIZO. And yes ladies they really do carry your bags for you.

Alright enough about the pampering, gosh and that was all before I even got to the hotel and met any of those “BRIZO” people, how could I not love them. Well the skeptic in me was enjoying the moment and reserving the right to decide what I thought. I mean really anyone can provide smoke and mirrors – if you don’t have anything to back it up well I can see right through that. And I have to say,  Brizo can back it up, read on…

So I arrived at the Eventi Hotel in mid-town Manhattan, checked in to my 16th floor corner room with a view of the Empire State Building.

Fitting for my reference to Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind theme song previously posted (yeah I know I know Eric posted it first, but I didn’t know that at the time – we were instant friends before we met because of that – LOL).

Side Note (what an amazing, talented group I was part of)

Our Brizo group, we like to refer to ourselves as “The Dream Team”- find us on twitter #dream11, is a diverse mix of amazingly talented, individuals, brought together by Brizo and held together by our common interests in all things Design.

We are The Dream Team - Raina Cox, Arne Salvesen, Eric Miller, Carmen Christensen, Richard Herb, Lori Gilder, Michelle Carangi, Tamara Stephenson, Michelle Jennings Wiebe, JB Bartkowiak, Nicole Dufour DuRocher, Jenny Rector, Leslie Seaton Fine, Jonathan Legate, Roberta Bauer Kravette, Sean Culman, Patricia Davis Brown, Nick Lovelady, and Kymberly Weiner. Brizo Fashion Week Event 2011 / Jason Wu

I am going to have to at some point blog /talk in more detail about each of them. I was and still am inspired by their individual talents and find great delight in learning from them and what they do. I am honored to be in their company and excited that we have created this life bond thru this experience where we can all learn and grow together.

I know I know, ok moving on. So the first night we arrived and were welcomed by Brizo and brought together at an intimate cocktail meet and greet gathering in our hotel. It was interesting to meet everyone in person and hear their story. And I found it comforting to know that we were all brought together in very similar ways. There seemed to be this instant connection and we all meshed together in our own unique ways.

So after a late night of martini’s, an evening walk in the city it was time the next morning to see what this whole Brizo thing really was all about.

We spent the day with Brizo’s team learning all about their company and what goes into their product from start to finish. We were given an amazing presentation by Brizo’s industrial design team and shown the step by step process they go thru even before pen touches paper. They spend a good deal of time exploring around the world and often their inspiration is drawn from their travels and experiences as they create new products. There is a direct correlation between Brizo’s designs as it relates to fashion, architecture, history and a multitude of textures, patterns and life we are all surrounded by daily. As a designer I know I am always aware of the textures, colors and shapes that are around me every day and I find great inspiration from nature and life as it surrounds me.

Brizo uses their inspirations to develop and produce their fashion forward faucet designs, much the same way designer Jason Wu draws from for his inspiration. Brizo began collaborating with Jason Wu in 2006, well before Wu was so widely recognized for designing the inaugural gown for Michelle Obama and their relationship with Wu’s has escalated as both have become more well known.

During our day with Brizo we were invited to participate and give insight and opinion on some very top secret new designs they are developing. Some were in the very early stages of development and others were already slated launch dates. Was fun to be a part of informative exploration of what we liked or didn’t like about product ideas they shared with us.

As is with everything I found it interesting that our group of 19 was not always in agreement and that much like our fashion sense was different, our design esthetic was also in many respects polar opposite and sometimes exactly the same. Here before me was a group of sophisticated, well-educated and informed design professionals with differing opinions on what was or wasn’t acceptable design. It was for me a perfect example of how important it is to take into consideration that everyone’s individual home and the products they select and recognize their home and fashion is truly a reflection of who they are individually, as it should be. Otherwise, as I always say, we would all drive white cars, wear black and live in a cardboard box.

The individual diversity is what makes fashion and design, Fashion and Design - and is why I love what I do.

Fast-forward to Friday, Jason Wu Fashion show day. This was for me the pinnacle of the trip and everything I had hoped it would be and more. Words cannot even explain so instead please enjoy a few photos.

the following section photo credit Jayme Thornton

The after party and fireside chat with Jason Wu.

By the time we arrived at the after party I was overcome with the amazing city scape we overlooked from our after party penthouse location. The culmination of three amazing days with The Dream Team, meeting the wonderful people from Brizo, the Jason Wu runway show, and now an after party with Jason Wu and his entourage – a truly amazing emotion highpoint for me. I had to stop and take it all in and again found myself thinking, wow they picked me and I was able to share this experience with these amazing designers and create this lifelong bond with 18 people just like me.

the following section photo credit Carmen Christensen

Thank you Brizo for having the forward thinking to bring us together in a forum that was both inspirational and informative. Thank you for giving us the insight to step out of our everyday life and spend some time with you Dreaming.

Here’s to our Dreams! Bravo Brizo!!