Behind the Scenes: Building the William Okpo FW13 Presentation

Production designer and OC alum Elise Durbecq shares some behind-the-scenes snaps and video from the William Okpo Fall/Winter 2013 show.

This season, as with last season, I worked with the Okpo sisters on their show installation. When Lizzy, Darlene, my co-designer Dan McMahon, production assistant David Creech, and I got together to brainstorm, for some reason, the words scaffolding and jungle gyms kept coming up. Excited by the possibilities, Dan, David, and I set out to build a beautiful, simplified version of scaffolding made from raw materials. We wanted to create a different kind of fashion presentation, one where the viewers could walk around the models in a more dynamic environment, reminiscent of an urban setting.

After weeks of preparation, 2am meetings in greasy diners, and endless calls to lumber yards, the process began, but not without its challenges. The wood studs arrived frozen and were very heavy; superstorm Nemo left us trapped indoors to spray paint the hardware (leaving us totally high); and then, we had to transport the wood across the city to set up! After five noisy hours of drilling, heavy lifting, and a lot of fun, we managed to fill the High Line Loft with an array of wood structures that were eventually filled with models. Guests quickly poured into the room and were able to circle the models, allowing them to appreciate and interact with the looks from different angles. All in all, it was a total success. Check out the photos and video below!