10/6/06
When I walked through the door it was already dark and already late. I didn't mean to be late especially since I wasn't that fashionable. Outside evo guests were milling about, talking on the phone, or having a smoke. Inside it was bright and cheery with plenty of activity.
The first thing that struck me was how diverse the crowd was. Black, white, asian, scensters, breakers, tall, short, young, old, everybody was out in full effect that night. There were young kids (I might add that they were hipper than me) running all over the place . The whole vibe felt like a neighborhood block party. There was food, wine, and of course the keg, and then another keg. The music was turned up and the beats were blaring which tempted Fraggle Rock member Remy to show off some of skils on the floor. Then this kid jumped in the circle and surprised all of us with his advanced moves you wouldn't expect from someone so young.
Quest Kids is a local clothing company started by Binh Nguyen after his then 2 year-old niece was in the hospital sick with cancer. He wanted to transfer his artwork into a clothing line that would make kids both sick and healthy happy. Because of his niece's bout with cancer Quest Kids has formed a relationship with Children's Hospital who was onsite, at the event, distributing information. It's a rare sight to see hip people in Seattle promoting kids in such a way.
Shortly after I showed my ID and poured myself a brew the scene suddenly changed into an impromptu hip-hop concert complete with a DJ table set-up and local talent Godspeed. The 3 piece Godspeed got my blood flowing with a few party tracks including the ever-contagious "Say." The next second I was singing along and moving my feet. They entertained the crowd with some inspired cuts. The crowd answered back with hands raised and voices loud.
Transitioning from the circle around the hip-hop crews I crept over to the gallery to see what talent and vision of Quest Kids was all about.
I found colorful paintings on the walls complete with vintage classroom chairs with the writing surface attached on the right. Themes included youth, freedom, simplicity, exploration, and vibrant color. One can see how the paintings and photographs on the wall influnce the clothing design and production.
From the gallery a friend and I headed out to face a night out in Fremont leaving behind a party in motion. It was just the kind of energy that kept me going throughout the night. Later that evening, walking back to the car, I looked through the closed doors at evo and smiled when I saw a crowd still gathered and bodies still dancing. -kirk wimberley
Tags:
quest kids, clothing, evo, evogear, seattle,
godspeed, breakers, beats
Published by
Evo_Seattle: 3:41 PM
Views: 2940
