 and welcome to another episode of the Savvy Chick show on Think Tech Hawaii. I'm your host Chantel Seville. Today I'm excited to have a few wonderful and inspiring females on the show. They are from Reach the Runway, which is all about inspiring and empowering girls to follow their passion in creativity and specifically fashion. So there's a lot of industry types of positions that you can have within this industry and we'd love to introduce you to our guests. We're going to tell you a bit more about what Reach the Runway is all about and how you could get involved. So firstly, this is Stacey Makia, who's the executive director of Reach the Runway. Welcome. Thank you for coming. Then we have Keisha Litman, who is a makeup artist and mentor for the Reach the Runway. And we have Billy here, who is former Ms. Hawaii. Wonderful. So it's Billy Leder and welcome ladies. Thanks for coming to the show. It's wonderful to have you in the studio. Thank you. It's great to have you as well out there and inspiring and empowering girls, because I mean in this today's day and age, you know, we need more girls out there doing what they love. So let's start with you. Stacey, can you tell us a bit about Reach the Runway and how it was founded and yeah. Sure. Reach the Runway is the official nonprofit of Honolulu Fashion Week. I'm also a fashion editor with Honolulu magazine. And it basically mentors middle school kids in various fields of fashion, whether it's photography, journalism, hair and makeup, modeling, creative design, fashion design, styling. There's seven categories that we help kids learn more about in the creative arts. And like you said, mostly at, you know, a fashion site to it. And it just started because I think that working in the fashion industry for so long, it's just we wanted to give back somehow and empower not only girls, boys too, to, you know, understand that they can have a career in the fashion industry and help us build this amazing fashion like community that we have here on Oahu. So I think that combining our love for passion and our love for helping, you know, empower today's youth, it kind of just came naturally together. And we get to work with people that we work with every day, you know. So it's amazing. Everybody is like family and friends here. So it kind of just goes together. And, you know, we love each other. And we're just for us as the in-house team, we're just excited that we kids have amazing mentors to work with. Yeah. Amazing. And you can always straight away when you meet any of you, it's just you just have this feel about you that is so warm and welcoming. And actually, you know, you can tell that any young person who would aspire to something would want to aspire to doing what it is that you do in whichever field. So even as a makeup artist, tell us a bit about your makeup artist journey and how you got involved with Rachel I've been working with Honolulu magazine with Stacy for, I don't know, more than five years. And then they asked me about being a mentor last year. It was our first year. So second year going on, and it's amazing. We get to create our own syllabus, you know, and work hand in hand with them about our syllabus and what we want to do for hair and makeup. So it's not just makeup, we also teach hair. So we have two other mentors that are in our hair and makeup, you know, group and they're amazing. Yeah. So a young, young woman. So it's for grades five, six, seven, eight. Yeah. So if a young girl who is interested in hair, perhaps she had a natural talent, she's always doing people's hair, it's something that would be great for her too. Of course, absolutely. They can just go in and there's like a process for it. Which I think is important because in that way they're serious, because otherwise I find that people are like, yeah, I want to do that. And do you really, when you actually are put to it, do you really want to do it? And I mean, mentors like yourself who are putting so much of your time to this, you want to make sure that the young people, they might be young, but if they're serious, I mean, it's potentials unlimited. And for yourself. So you were a former Ms. Hawaii. What was that like? That's a nice title. So I was Ms. Hawaii 2000. So it was an amazing experience getting to represent our state, both locally and then internationally and just being a goodwill ambassador. But my platform during that year of service was mentoring, so peer mentoring. So actually this all kind of fell really nicely because I was always into mentorship. And so working with these middle schoolers and then having them also learn from each other, I think that's been a magical piece that we've all kind of seen is how the different students, not just within individual groups, but when they do get to work together on their like final culminating project of the cover look. It's really neat to see like our mini-nees get to work and put to practice all the things that they've learned throughout. Because you have three mini-nees each, essentially is about two to three. Yeah. It's three, where we started it was three mentors and three kids per each group. So they kind of get one on one attention. But they also can build teamwork skills and work together and collaborate on different projects. The end goal for the last two years was producing a magazine cover because that's the background we all come from. Half of the mentors come from Pacific Basin Communications and that includes Honolulu Magazine and a couple other well-known publications. So it's fun, like all of them came and wanted to be a part of it from creative design to styling to journalism. So the end project is always a bigger magazine cover and that we print out and you know everybody has a part in it. That's what we all do when we're together, you know. So a model, hair and makeup, photographer, cover lines on the magazine, styling, you know, create the fashion design. They're making the garments for the model to wear. They're actually making the garments. So how old are they, what is it, 10, about 9, 10, 11 years old? And they're making garments. Yeah, they only have eight weeks to make it and we meet every other Sunday so that's not that much time. But I think we all learn that these kids, like they're amazing. We underestimate what they can do, you know, and then we're shocked by just when they come in and their level of passion, creativity, you know, determination. I mean, that has surprised all of us and like Billy said, when they get together and do a group project, they make friends, they collaborate. I mean, you see the magic all happen and I think we're all proud mamas and popas because that's what I've never seen. It's hard to hold back the tears because you see it happening at the end of the show. It's worth every ounce of time that everybody puts in. I mean, the mentors really make the program happen. We could have done it with, we have 21 amazing mentors this year and they come from various fields and I honestly, like I said, the program wouldn't be anything without them. They give up their time, they give up time with their family or their careers and you know, they all have this passion and it shows and the kids gravitate towards them and you know, it's just, yeah, every parent who has been a part of it is like so thankful and they get, you know, they get to see what they do. Well, I think the exposure is so neat. Having exposure to people like your mentors is, you were just recently at Paris Fashion Week. What was that like or what did you do there? That's pretty incredible. That was amazing fashion shows. It's very high stress so I can, you know, putting myself in my mentees shoes, it's like, okay, for the first shoe that I've ever done in my life, what did that feel like and you can see that energy and that excitement but also that like, I don't know, you just, you know, it's an exciting feeling but. And is it one of those things that you're always, I guess, going to that Paris Fashion Week would have been something new to you? Yeah, so it would be something, you know, even as we get older it's still something new to us and like, you get nervous, you still get a little bit nervous, no different than the girls that will be at the Honolulu Fashion Week from reach the runway. So it's kind of neat for these girls to be exposed to see. Look, we all experience it at different times, which is a matter of addressing it and learning how to get on with it so you can keep doing that along the way and then with yourself you help the girls with confidence and walking and going into photo shoots and. Yeah, and just being prepared and how to, a lot of it is your attitude and going into it, being positive, saying please and thank you and just going in with a positive attitude, respecting the people that are in the different industry. I think that is probably half the battle. The other half then is it can be learned and over time with experience about how to walk properly on the runway, how to pose in front of a camera, how to interact with the different team members, but really the first half of it is really having that good attitude, learning to be on time, be responsible for your things, taking care of the garments that you are, you know, wearing or modeling and just that type of respect for the industry. And with the industry, I mean the industry's had a lot of criticism over years about you know, skinny models and this and that and whatnot. What's your best advice for a girl who would like to pursue to be a model? So great examples are being positive and going into different shoots like that, but is there a certain look that they go for or is it now open to anyone these days? I mean they have plus size models, they have miniature size models, I'm sure they have something for everyone. So what is your best advice for girls who are interested in being a model? I think anything goes nowadays. And so my biggest story when I would go in and talk to students, especially when I was Miss Hawaii, is that no one's perfect because they see you with a crown on and they think, oh my gosh, she's a princess, you know, she's perfect and I'm like, I'm not perfect. I'm like, you know, I have a double chin, I have about one ear is bigger than the other. I used to call that my Nemo ear and so I would show them because I was always criticized, don't ever wear your hair pulled back because you can see the difference. So your face looks unsymmetrical and uneven and that that actually hurt me for several years. And like I had a, so in my 20s, I had a really, I had a complex about it. Now that I'm entering into my 40s, I feel the most confident that I am now with my looks and just learning how to work it and work with what I got. But that's what I tell the girls is that, you know, I was still Miss Hawaii, I still get booked for runway shows, I still get to do some cool things like be on this show, you know. And so those limitations have not limited me from doing what I wanted to pursue. So I think it really comes down to having a good positive attitude and that's what draws people to you and they want to be able to use you and connect with you and all of that. So I think it really comes down from the inside. And then the beauty part is just a bonus, you know, but you can enhance it in any way you want. Yeah, we've all seen magazines or how things that you can, you know, do anything that you like. I mean, not saying that you're editing things, but just in general, you can really, but it's if you come with the right attitude and from the right grounding, and I think that that's what really inspired me and caught my eye about reach the runway is you're really giving these girls a nice foundation to be able to pursue their passions and their natural creativity. Because as we said, if they like doing hair, if they have a natural like to pose, I mean, ever since I was little, I like posing and being on TV, so why not have your own show? We definitely teach for the hair and makeup, teach them how to let go of that limiting belief and just believe in themselves, you know, and have that confidence and it's beauty from the inside out, basically. Yeah, exactly. And what's really neat too is this year, this is only our second year, but we have some returnees from who are mentees last year in different areas. So I have one mentee, model mentee was a model last year and she returned this year as a photography mentee. So it's actually really neat because now she can see from the opposite with a different lens on, you know, what it takes to be a photographer and then also a model. I think that's really, really good. I mean, I worked in marketing, but when you can be on both sides, it's incredible because then you have so much more attention to detail. We're just going to take a short break, ladies. We've got so much more exciting things to talk about. So stay tuned because after the break, we'll be talking about the alumni program as well as reach the runway at the upcoming Honolulu fashion week. So stay tuned. Hi, I'm Donna Blanchard. I host the show Center Stage on Think Tech Wednesdays at 2 p.m. and this is Crystal Quok. That's right. I'm Crystal and I host Quok Talk on Tuesday mornings. I like watching Donna's show. You do. I like watching your show. I like watching your show because you talk about you're not afraid to really dive into issues that are important and sometimes they're a little shocking and you always bring us information that is sometimes that underbelly that we need to know and we need to say it's important. Well said. Well, I like yours because you can find any topic in any type of character, but you will find that source which brought them to the product of that creative process. And that's like the most important thing is the process. Awesome. I think, yeah, I do. I think it's all about the process and I think we'll find world peace when we know each other's stories. So thank you very much for bringing it to us. Join us on Think Tech. Hawaii, anytime. Aloha and welcome back to the Savvy Chick Show on Think Tech Hawaii. I'm your host Chantelle Seville and we're back to you with Reach the Runway. Now, Stacy, who is the executive director of Reach the Runway, is going to tell us a little bit about the alumni program. Yeah. Because we want the fashion community to grow, we didn't want to stop the program after or their learning after just one, you know, one class session, which lasts 10 weeks. We wanted to keep encouraging them to pursue their creative art dreams and, you know, just support them in that. So we started an alumni program and basically we try to plan an activity every month that deals with the creative arts that the girls can get together and do and, you know, just keep their mind fresh, keep them going, keep their dreams alive and just, you know, keep them in touch with the mentors because they really do make friends with the mentors and the other girls. I mean, so last month we had a block printing class at the Honolulu Museum of Art. What's block printing? It's like they kind of carved out a pattern on softwood blocks and then they would print it on certain materials, you know, so they did that. This month we have, I think it's a Hakulei making class where they're going to team up with one of the designers we know, Meleana, and she's going to kind of instruct them how to make a, you know, flower crowns and everything is coming along now and so it's kind of using tropical flowers and they'll get to do that with her. They're also going to have another class for, which what I'm excited about is a Halloween makeup class. Can I come? Yeah. I don't know exactly what we're going to be, but it's going to be fun. Yeah, so we try to pull in the mentors as much as possible to kind of, you know, help us plan what kind of classes we can offer them. I think that the kids get really excited about that and this year I will have 40 kids now instead of 20 because I'm going to fit all of these people. Every year progressively I guess they become aluminized and then next year you'll have 60 and is that how? We're trying not to do that in my head. How do you do that? What happens next year? I'm like, I don't know. Let's talk about that next year. It's one of those things you're working out as you're going along. What I absolutely love about that is you're keeping these girls together and inspired by their passion because I think in society when girls don't have something that they're inspired by, girls are guys, but I mean the show is generally for girls, is that you're more worried about comparing yourself and this and that whereas if you're doing these activities and looking forward to the monthly about inspiration and surrounding yourself with other like-minded people who are really on a journey to being their best selves, I mean what a perfect way and monthly at least, you know, it's just regular because as you said before if they just did the program and then see you later then they go, you know what maybe my dream to be a fashion designer isn't real after all but when you're surrounded by that type of community who believes in you, you know, sometimes it's someone who needs to believe in you more than you believe in yourself and that's what a mentor can see. And I think that girls naturally they, we have seen them support each other which is amazing. Yes, that is what we need more of. And they like have formed projects on their own, we see on Instagram or something, they kind of connect, you know, and they do their own projects and you know it's just amazing that they, they have somewhere to go like six, seven, eight grade is a hard year, you know, as girls, you know, I mean- We've all been there. Yes, it's kind of where you start finding your place and finding what you want to do and find, you know, pursuing your passion, so that's why we chose these grades. And you know, I think that like from everything we've seen, the girls have grown over the years and some of them we see, they're returning and we're like, wow, you know, just the way they care, I mean, these mentors don't only teach them the, the category, you know, the skills in that category, they're teaching them life skills that they can carry on through anything they pursue, you know. Exactly. And so I, you know, I can't thank them enough, we're very fortunate to have a group, amazing group of mentors that we work with. Oh, as you read the website, the mentors, the list goes on and on of amazing people. I'm like, can I get them all here? Can we all, can we squish everyone? Yeah. We'll have to do more shows so we can get more of them on as well. But with them, so with the Honolulu Fashion Week, so this is, you know, really aligned with Honolulu Fashion Week, how, so they do the program and that's 10 weeks, is it? Yes. So they do the, so they apply for the program, they do the 10 week program and then how, how does that link in with the Fashion Week? Do they actually get to do a fashion show or how does that all work? They get to participate in a fashion show and this year they're participating in Kimi Zamora's fashion show. I don't know if everyone has heard of him, but he is amazing. He's from Hawaii, he's from HCC, right? And he's been on Project Runway twice. And he's been on one of the shows here, apparently. Oh, thanks. Yeah, so he's amazing. He always gives back. He always knows where his roots come from and he also supports the youth. He's in various, you know, nonprofit organizations and he's just an amazing person. And so he, last year he did the show for us too and all the benefits go, or proceeds go to reach them in a runway, the ticket sales. And so this year, he's doing it again, but this year, the, the reach a runway class this year is going to get to participate with him and see kind of the evolution of the, how he preps for the runway show. I mean, all of us know that it takes an army to produce a fashion show, you know? And what you see on the runway is not what's going on backstage. Which is how we picture, we're hoping you had a little bit backstage. I got a little bit of that, you know, what's happening really. So this is what you see and this is what's really happening. So, you know, we've been there. Yes, everything has been blown. It's like, you know, you can't be afraid of nothing when you go backstage. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I mean, so it's amazing to see. It's really important to know, I mean, people, oh, makeup artists, but really a makeup artist has a huge part of it. The focus is on the model or on the outfit, but really, you need to have the makeup, you need to have the girls learn how to walk properly in order to make the show run successfully. And you need good photography to capture that. So I mean, there's so many elements involved. So your show, the Honolulu Fashion Week is free, I believe as well. Yes, and it's at 2 p.m. Well, the show is the entrance is free, but the 2 p.m., if you want tickets, you have to purchase the tickets. Oh, great. And how much are they? I think, I don't know if you saw it. It's on the Honolulu Fashion Week website, which is great, because as you said, it all goes back to reach the runway. So it's perfect. Anyone watching this who lives in Hawaii, be sure to go support that because that's supporting your girls. And if you are girls, go see what you're in for. The Honolulu Fashion Week experience is amazing. Oh, I can't wait to. I mean, there's 12 shows that, you know, I mean, just showcase this talent from here, from Australia to New York to Korea. It's just an amazing production to be a part of. So I'm glad that, you know, the kids get to see it and they get to see, witness what actually happens and be a part of it more importantly. Because I think, I mean, a big person about aspiring, I grew up in Central Canada where there's nothing much there. But anything I see, I can do that. I can go to Australia. I can do this. So when girls can actually watch these runway shows and almost have contact, maybe not necessarily speaking to the big designers or whatnot, but to see it, it's like, you know what, when I grow up, I can do that. And I just think that that's such a great opportunity for any young girl in Hawaii. And if you, you know, can't make the whole show, at least try and come down and see, reach the runway. And even your littlest ones. So like last year, I brought my, my two daughters and now they're six and eight. But last year, you know, I brought them to one of the shows and they just had a fabulous time. And they, I was worried about them being really, you know, squirmy in their seats, but they actually did great and they enjoyed, completely enjoy the show. They totally want to be a part of, reach the runway when they have age and then be a part of all the fun too. Because they always see mommy going off and helping these girls. And I come back home, I show them the pictures and so they What a great way to get your family involved and to inspire the girls from such young age. What else, there's, it's so it's sponsored by Hawaiian Airlines. That's the main. The Honolulu Fashion Week. The Honolulu Fashion Week, sorry. Yeah, Honolulu Fashion Week, which reached the runway will be a part of. And with, do you happen to know the, the, some of the top designers that are going to be on at the Honolulu Fashion Week at the Hawaiian Airlines feature? Or the Honolulu, because there's a separate Hawaiian Airlines show. Yes, that one. Who's on, just to give the audience. I think it's Marisa Webb is what, that is confirmed. I think for the Hawaii one, it's Jeffrey Yoshida. Just to give a little taste, just a tiny taste. The rest you can go and find out yourself. Just to give you the idea of caliber. Yeah, a lot of my attention has been focused on reach the runway. So where is all the most important attention goes? Yeah, yeah. That's what we're excited about. But definitely go check it out, because I know there's amazing designers that you wouldn't be able to see unless you went to these places. Yeah. And they're huge. That's why, that's why it's just awesome. I mean, if you're going to go see reach the runway, go and see some of the other shows as well, just to get that inspiration for fashion. You never know what you're going to see when you're exposed to something, something might inspire, something within you. So be sure to check that out. The Gala. This is most important. Tell us about the Gala. The Gala. This is our first year doing the Gala. We're taking you on something while we never knew that and it was like event planning. So it's been, it's just a fundraising Gala for reach the runway. It's called fashion and paradise. It's, we are encouraging people to wear your local fashion, but you know, turn it up a notch and make it your own and style it out. Maybe make your own. Yeah, make your own. Yeah, exactly. Maybe not me so much. But yeah, it's a fantastic event. It's on November 9th. It's at Salt Cock Aco. It's from six to 10 p.m. It's, we're going to have great amazing food. You're going to get to see the kids. They're going to produce a fashion show. You know, there's going to be a DJ. There's going to be entertainment. And it's just, it's just a way for us to keep the free program going. You know, and just, yeah, I mean, I think it's just going to be a big party for the men. So I think that they're looking forward to it as well, you know, and it's just going to be everyone. Welcome men, women, children. Is everyone welcome or is it something? No, everybody is welcome. Yeah. And just find the tickets and on your website, reachrunway.com. And yeah, I hope that everybody comes down because I think it's going to be an amazing turnout and just, you know, supporting our local community and our future. You know, we want to leave a legacy for them. So that's awesome. And what I was about to do before we wrap up the show is if we can go one by one for your best advice for a young girl who wants to pursue their passion in whatever industry it might be, we'll start with you, Stacey. I guess best advice is don't be afraid and never have regrets. That was my kind of mantra during my year of service is just don't have any regrets. And if it's something that you're scared of, just try it because you never know what might come of it. And just always go in with a positive attitude and be friendly. Don't forget your manners. But it's just about having fun and enjoying every experience that is offered to you. Perfect. That's great. Okay, well, I'm going to come from a, I don't know, I guess let go of your expectations. For myself, it's a lot of, I have this high expectation. And then when I let go of that, you know, I could do anything. So just believe in yourself, let go of your expectations. And limiting beliefs, like our limiting beliefs is like, I'm not good enough. Well, what is the opposite of that? I am good enough. Or I am great. I'm amazing. So maybe come up with a good affirmation. Perfect. And what's great about this is, you know, what you've said is so amazing, but it's also you can tell true to who you are as a person as well. So I think that's another important point. Now it's okay. I think just be yourself. I think there's only one you in this world and in this universe. And you, everybody knows that every individual is special and unique. And that's what we try to build at Reach to Run. We try to, you know, improve on what they already are and just give them that confidence and courage to be themselves. And you know, I mean, be kind. Be kindness gives you a long way. Even in our fashion industry, it's to be kind. You know, I feel that that is really important. It's one of the things that you can give without costing you anything, you know, and just make sure you know that you're important in this world. Thank you all so much. This has just been amazing. Really hoping to get behind the scenes with you guys at the Honolulu Fashion Week for Reach the Runway. Thank you to all of you for watching The Savvy Chick Show and continuing to support us. And of course, Think Tech Hawaii for having us live every Wednesday at 11am Honolulu time. Be sure to check us out. Tweet us. Message us. Call us. Do whatever you like. Love to you all. Thanks for watching.