Celebrating Emerging Fashion and Music at Brand Assembly Dallas
For as long as I can remember, I've personally loved to search for untapped musical talent. The ability to discover new artists has increased immensely with the help of streaming outlets like Pandora and Spotify. Now I hope Brand Assembly can also play a role in this discovery process by integrating concert experiences at each of our shows.
"I’ve been singing most of my life, probably since I was 4 or 5 years old. I really fell in love with music when I started playing the guitar at age 14. I heard Jimi Hendrix for the first time, and my brain exploded. That’s when I knew music was something I HAD to do. From that point on I started playing in bands, high school talent shows, slowly graduating to 3-hour solo acoustic cover sets in college bars, then finally I made the jump down to Nashville where I would really learn how to make a career in music." - Devon Gilfillian
Generally speaking, both the fashion and the music industries have changed quite a bit over the last decade with increased accessibility through technology. But a few big questions continue to remain top of mind for makers across all industries: How do you find your consumer or listener? How do you break through the noise? It takes an understanding that it is not an overnight success story, and making it in both industries takes hard work and persistence. And with Brand Assembly's mission of creating a one-stop destination for all things emerging design, we also want to continue pushing the boundaries of how we can make our shows a genuinely unforgettable experience for all those who champion emerging talent.
When you look at the trade side of the fashion industry, in many ways, it is antiquated. So for us, keeping things fresh is key! We already curate a pretty eclectic playlist each season that is on loop during our shows and really think about the ebb and flow and progression of the playlist. There should be a mix of upbeat songs and mellow tracks so that our brands and buyers can have fun but also concentrate. When you are in the same space for three days straight, you want to create an enjoyable environment. I think the music choice plays a huge role in that!
"I tend to wear a lot of H&M because it’s not too expensive and the designs are cool. We’ve actually partnered with FRYE boots (a Brand Assembly participant), so I have a couple of pairs of those that I love to sport. I switch those out with my high top Adidas and my red Nike running shoes when I want to work on my fitness." - Devon Gilfillian
Keeping all of this mind, we found ourselves asking how we could take this curation one step further. And everyone loves a good live performance, right? This Spring '19 show season was our biggest season to date, and while we have done panel events in both New York and Los Angeles, for Dallas we just wanted to let loose and create a good time that our team and loyal Brand Assembly participants could enjoy as we wrapped up our own show “tour.” Enter our concert with emerging musician Devon Gilfillian.
The performance with Devon proved to be something that both brands and buyers enjoyed – they danced, grooved, and socialized! It also reinforced the idea that having a unique point of view or bringing outside resources informs the buyer or consumer and ultimately exposes them to something they would never have seen otherwise. As Brand Assembly continues to grow, we see ourselves aligning with other emerging musicians, artists, and creators (especially those in the food industry) to continue elevating our mission and experience in innovative ways. For now, we wanted to get this under our belt to see if we could pull it off, which we're proud to say that we did! The goal is to do another season-end concert for our Fall/Winter tour coming up in March, and we're all ears when it comes to emerging musicians we should be keeping our eye on.
"The best way the general public can help support an emerging artist or musician is to SHARE their music via social media. We live in a digital age, so the more viral our music goes, the more ears, the more listens, and the more people in seats potentially at the shows."- Devon Gilfillian
Until that time, we hope you enjoy a few highlights from our show with Devon. Follow along on social media @brandassembly for more updates on our final event of the year here at our home base in NYC!
- Hillary France, Founder and CEO of Brand Assembly