SHRED THE RUNWAY!

(1/18) J’RAE took the Runway at PROCTORS for Shred the Runway and It was nothing short of EPIC. Im still in awe and on such a high from all of it.
This was the third runway show put on by icreateproductions that J’RAE has been a part of. While all 3 were pure magic, something about being at Proctors really took it to that next level. It really just keeps getting better and better and I feel grateful to be a part of it. Theres really nothing like that feeling of being a part of these shows and the production of it all.
When I was 9 I won a beauty pageant and I was crowned Miss Jr Pre Teen Albany 2001 lol. It was such a cool thing that happened to me and it really changed my life. That one day being a part of such a huge fun production and all of these little stars coming together to make something beautiful. I met girls from all over and stayed friends with all of the girls for so long.
The runway shows remind me of that so much. Its a feeling that really brings you back to where that creative spark ignited in the first place. It’s just SO FUN is really the best word for it.

For this show I was the most prepared I was for any show yet. I had all of my looks locked down to a T all ready in personal bags for the girls. Sometimes I will have most of a look complete but then build the rest on the girls that day. I usually play with so much of it on show day but this time I had them all down. Which saved me time and guess work. There were still tweaks and some mixing but it was pretty much laid out perfectly and the extra organization really helped the whole process go along more smoothly.
The theme for this show was an immersive mountain top winter wonderland so I really ran with that with the styling. I was so excited to incorporate all of the winter accessories. I was channeling a lot of the OG supermodels (I always do for J’RAE) and those seasonal magazine spreads for the colder months. American girl Doll meets BRATZ on the accessories. The dolls always had all of these pieces when it came to accessories and it created a story. I love when my girls are all coordinating like a girl group (they really are one lol) but each of their looks gives its own pop, for each of them to be their own superstar. Spice Girls vibes.
All of these inspirations from here, from there. To bring you the always classic meets modern timeless aesthetic in the end.
Saadah one of my models was like “This literally is the vision board come to life”. And it really was. Thats what I mean when I say I was the most prepared because I really strived to make that vision board jump out and walk down that runway.
 When Im producing media projects, videos, shoots etc I of course always put together mood boards/treatments and I always aim to make that vision come to life as much as possible. But this time was just a new level. Im still learning everyday and all of the time, I love to learn. Every level is a whole new experience to sit back and get lessons from.
The lesson from my most recent runway experience… KEEP YOUR FOOT ON NECKS.
Keep pushing your limits
Don’t look back
Ever so seriously…
We left it all on the runway.
These girls ATE and left 0 crumbs, everyone who was there can attest to that.
The energy was so electric. The lights, the music, all of it.
Its like you could SEE the energy waves.
After the walk I had girls crying talking about how amazing they felt and how they felt like a STAR. The feeling when they’re walking down that runway to that music and they get to that X on the ground where they stand and give their pose, for those 3 long seconds they are OWNING all of the energy like true ROCK STARS and yes they ROCK it and TAKE IT THERE every single time.
It’s truly the most magical feeling in the world. Thats what J’RAE has ALWAYS been about, that feeling. When girls want to be part of J’RAE, they don’t just love the brands look but they LOVE the community and they want in.

Right before the walk, I was introduced to a photographer from the Times Union. I told him about J'RAE and about Persia. He loved everything and wanted to get pictures of me and the girls in our Persia shirts asap. That was such an incredible moment. They ended up printing it in the paper too!
The J’RAE walk started with a group of our core runway girls opening the show in our classic Finally V bra line, paired with our Plunge Candy accessories + decked out in winter everything. 
All of the fuzzy head wraps, wrist & leg warmers, skirts, were designed by me for the show. That was a fun project and now I know how to make those accessories for future shoots and shows, this is just a small example of what I mean when I say I’m always learning. 
It was really annoying to cut that fabric it went EVERYWHERE lol. It was a lot of vacuuming in-between design sessions and major clean up. I enlisted my aunt to help me one night and the scene of me her and Izzy literally inhaling all of this fabric and having to pour out our drinks, change the dogs bowl all of it. It was messy but it was funny and it was worth it, I mean LOOK at the way it all turned out it was perfect. 
Anyways…the OG girls walked out to “So Seductive” by Tony Yayo and 50 cent. A song I picked when I heard it in the car for the first time in years and it brought major memories. Its a cool song and it gives a nostalgic feeling. Its homage to the 2000’s era, with J’RAE’S mantra always being classic meets modern. The show being no different, we played with that 2000’s vibe with our looks so the song had to match. The beat is hard but still fun. I really loved the idea of pretty girls walking to hard music. They're having fun & giving FIERCE its COOL but still being cute, hot and playful. Its just all fun! And the music MAKES it. 
I always take the music selection seriously for anything I’m creating whether it be runway, videos, whatever, the music HAS to go with the whole picture.
Speaking of music, for the second part of our walk  we introduced an exclusive preview for THE PERSIA COLLECTION.
When the last model in the bra got off stage the song switched to Bodies by Drowning Pool and our first model wearing The Persia Collection came out to it.
I chose Bodies because that was one of Persia's favorite songs. She danced to it all of the time AND she danced ON STAGE with DROWNING POOL while they performed bodies. Yeah.. pretty fucking epic. She would say that it was one of the best moments of her life and she never felt more alive.
Once that song dropped everyone in the crowd perked up and they were all so into it.
It totally changed the whole atmosphere and everyone was on their metal shit.
Just like Persia rocked out on stage with drowning pool and never felt more alive, the girls were now OWNING IT on the runway to the same track, in Persia shirts and they too had felt electrifyingly ALIVE in that moment. Thats called magic.
Emily was in the crowd supporting as she always does, she had no idea we were going to be showcasing the collection. It was a total surprise. Emily is part of this collection as well and she was on a shirt for one of the looks and the look was SICK. 
She had no idea she was going to be literally on the shirt in a look.
Theres a huge screen backstage where we get to watch the walk ourselves before we walk out with our models, and I could see Emily on the screen in the audience watching as our model is absolutely killing it hitting those poses in a shirt Emilys on and I just see her jaw dropped. Her sister and our friends yelling and everyone going nuts. It was such a major moment!
For my look a Persia Collection T that read JUSTICE FOR PERSIA. Paired with the coolest true vintage coat with fuzzy trim and sleeves that belongs to my aunt. I have coveted this beautiful piece since I was so little. I used to play in that coat and dream about times like this so it was really cool to walk in it for this moment. Black tights, Combat boots. For the accessories, classic hoops, an assortment of necklaces mixed between some of Persias plus a statement purple necklace that Persia got for me just one day before she died. One she got for me but never got to give me herself.
Jewelry in a bag labeled “Jenna” was in her suitcase, in her luggage that came back from Florida but she didn’t, not alive anyway.
She was supposed to give that bag to me herself with her own hands. And I should be wearing it out with her, not while im wearing a shirt that says Justice for her on it.
Persia wanted to give me that bag and she planned to. Because Persia was trying to come home. 
Someone took that from her.
They took that from her and then they tried to make it seem like she did it to herself.
She didn’t.
That’s the truth.
But that’s for another post…
 =



  Xoxo
  -Jenna Rae

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.