This is the FCB Podcast Network. This is Fassy's Pass. Hi everyone, and welcome into another episode of Backstage Pass. It's your host, Victoria Elizabeth here with Elizabeth Solomina. So I am so excited about this guest we have here today. Elizabeth is from Flying Solo. We're gonna have her tell you a little bit more about this brand. But this is one of the top productions at New York Fashion Week. They do an incredible job. They feature designers, top designers from all over the world. Elizabeth, how are you today? Ending very well? Thank you so much, Victoria, thank you for having me, of course, well, thank you so much for joining us. A fashion week season is upon us. It's coming at us like a tidal way, just around the corner in February. So tell us a little bit about Flying Solo, the production and what is your involvement in this event. Well, we've been doing shows quite a bit and ten years to be exact, we did over forty five shows at the moment, and I'm an executive producer for all Flying Solo shows, meaning that I'll make sure that the show happens in the best possible way. We select amazing designers to showcase every season. We have some new designers every year. We also have some returning designers every year, and we normally have a lineup of more than seventy brands that will be showcasing under the same roof. And we are very excited for this season as well. This year it will be February sixteenth. That's so exciting. We're looking forward to seeing what incredible things that Flying Solo brings to the stage. So I know that it's a very competitive platform. There's so many designers that submit. When you're looking through the designers who submit to be a part of Flying Solo, what are the requirements the guidelines that you kind of look at to see who makes the cut to be on that platform. Absolutely, yes, and it is correct. That's very competitive. However, applications are open to all. It's an open submission on through our Instagram Flying so that nys you can find the link to submit, or through our website designer That's Flying so that NYC you can submit to Fashion Week. The main criteria that we're looking for is the unique point of view, So we always look for the when brand present the collection and it's something that we never seen before. It has to be something. Unique and one of a kind and the vision of the designer. Will shine through. With that said, we. Opened two applicants that are just starting out, and there are. Many of the brands. That are much more established and been running their business for five tents, sometimes even twenty years, and some of them are already known in Europe, for example Asia and come to New York to showcase, sometimes for the very first time, which we all was very excited to showcase them and give them that platform to signce here. So, Elizabeth, take us back to the very beginning, because you mentioned that you've been involved with Flying Solo Productions for ten years or Flying Solo has been producing for ten years. How did you get into fashion? I am a jewelry designer and that's basically how Flying Sola started. So me personally, I. Was looking for a place like Flying Soa, but it was nothing like it, and the first that game was not even fashion shows. We open our. Very first store on a street back in twenty sixteen, and that was the first, very immediate need for any independent brand. So any brand that grew to. A certain point that register getting customers that no longer just can sell online, need a physical space, but for a lot of independent brands, it's just simply too expensive, and wholesale is not attainable because there's a big quantities, it's hard to get in. There are a lot. Of other complicated complications that come with wholesale, so you need a place to sell, but you don't know how. And that's how Flying sal was created. It was not just me, It was ten co founding designers that opened the first Flying Cell store and we kept drawing every since. So it's ten became thirty, became fifty, became one hundred. Now we have two hundred designers just in our stores and our pressure Romanda, our management between New York and Paris stores, and half a year in we start doing fashion shows because it's against something that designers really need in order to be noticed. But as everybody knows, production are extremely expensive. Just to pull off a distant production, it will be hundreds hundred and fifty thousand just to do a bare minimum that will look nice and people will attend. Then you have one pr agent that actually brings preszl that's where the pricing starts, just to do it during your fashioning. So obviously it's not attainable. For a lot of young brands. But they still need a place to be showcased. And that's how we started Flying Solar shows. So we basically do the same thing for a fraction of a cost because we showcase under the same roof and we get that disability. We get people well in the press and the influencers because we showcase a lot of different brands that are very exciting. They could be not known just yet, but they'll be under one roof. And that's how it became known for those productions. So yeah, I mean ten years. Later, we were covered by every big. Magazine from Vogel, Harper's, Loveae, Yell, you name it. Every single season, at least a few will cover every single show. So yeah, it's been a quite exciting journey. It's incredible and watching Flying Solo just continue to grow every year, and like you said, the publicity that you get is just really tremendous. Now there's some exciting news around the corner for Flying Solo this year, the Flying Solo Fashion Awards. We're so excited because it sounds like this is the inaugural event. Tell us a little bit more about what we can expect from this and how can we get involved. Absolutely. Well, it's been ten years as a mention of Flying Sola and we've been helping independent designers to grow and there's always been our mission. But alongside with that, we saw growth of a lot of stylists and hand makeup artists. Oftentimes will lend them from our press showroom clothing and accessories just for them to help out throughout production. So that's how. We and me personally learn how unfair the fashion industry is to people that stay backstage. Oftentimes they willn't even get credit for their work. Hair makeup artists, photographers, set designers, even models often go a notice or without giving even proper. Credit for their work. So we wanted to change that, especially because all other industries, including movie industry, has oscars. We have a ceremonial or TV for theater for music and celebrate those who go backstage, But for fashion industry, it's never been done. I certainly don't know why, and I think it's time that we change it. So this June June twenty twenty six, we hosting first ever Flying Solo Fashion Awards, and I am so excited that so many incredible people already join our panel of judges, so so many people want to get involved to to select the nemminees and then select the winners. So just to name a few, Sephie Ellis Baxter, a very known British singer who sings the Murder of a dance Floor. She's one of the judges. Stuart Trevor, the. Founder of All Saints, the very famous brand fashion brand. He will be one of the panelists. Thy Hunter Styles of Beyonce. For the first fifteen years he was doing the whole work for her. He's joining our panel. This is just to name a few people that will be judging the process and selecting those new bright talents. To take the global stage. So I really want everyone to know that Flying So Awards exist because if you any if you are involved in fashion production and you want to submit your work, you're absolutely welcome. To do that. Applications are completely free. All you need to do. Is to go to our website which is Designer That's Flying So that NVC Slastion Awards, or just head to our Instagram which is designed Flying SOA and Flying So NYC and you can find link and bio apply to Flying CELA Fashion Awards. Do that or shared with. The friends that really deserve cognition, because truly, people who who work in this industry, who work so hard and produce amazing work, go unnoticed, and we really wanted to change that. So there will be people that will become known throughout this process and will get much more recognition out of it. So we really want to. Encourage to everyone who feel that. They deserve that recognition to apply, So please do that and AWA still accepting applications, accepting until the end of this month and to the end of February rather and yes, looking forward to that. We're going to be sharing all of those links so you can connect with the Flying Solo brand. You can submit your brand. If you work in fashion production or really any element of fashion, you don't want to miss out on submitting your content into the Flying Solo Fashion words. We're going to make sure we share everything to everyone. Elizabeit. This sounds like such an exciting platform that you all are venturing out into with Flying Solo. Now tell me, is this a word ceremony, Is this a one time thing or is this something that you're looking to do annually. Honestly, we do want to do it annually, and I was too personally too scared to stay at the very beginning when we just started. But we're already getting so much love from the industry and everybody wants to jump on board because literally the same exact feedback from everyone that was needed. Guys, you're doing something that we were thinking about that needed to happen in the industry. You must do it. So I do believe that. The very first one will be a success, and will just continue doing it every year because again I believe that talent needs to be noticed and they should be recognized for their achievements, so we'll give them the platform to do that. I couldn't agree more. Well, Elizabeth, I am so excited for one, and I know so many people in the industry are excited about the Flying Solo Fashion Awards this upcoming June twenty twenty six. Thank you so much for joining us and we can't wait to see what Flying Solo does next. Thank you so much, Victoria, it was lovely chatting with you. It was an absolute pleasure, and thank you all as always for joining in on backstage pass. We'll see you next time.
