F.A.M.E: Where Fashion, Art & Music Collide!

It’s no secret at this point: Indianapolis’ creative scene is bursting at the seams talent, and has been for quite some time. Whether you’re looking at music, fashion, or art, one doesn’t need to look very far to find quality talent in this city.

There is a “cultural renaissance” emerging here. With that movement comes a need for artistic patronage. Supporting artists, their work, and their platforms, whether it be monetarily or by showing up to an event supporting the space, is important to keeping the local art movement alive. By that same token, we can’t expect people to show up to every event, and when we do attempt to curate events they have to add to the very ethos of the culture. If we expect for the general public to support our events, products, and ecosystem, our product must provide an elevation of experience & quality for our space.

While there are events that support Indianapolis’ artistic scene, there are few events that push the precipice when it comes to delivering the type of eclectic experience Indy is missing. A growing creative market, many are looking for unique experiences reminiscent of high fashion & art events the likes of which (you feel like) can only find in mainstream entertainment markets like New York, Paris, Tokyo and the like.

Enter F.A.M.E.

F.A.M.E. is a creative multiform experience centered around celebrating local artists, talent, and creatives with a focus on the aesthetic disciplines of fashion, art, and music. F.A.M.E. serves as a new platform for creatives to network and share their skills, passions, and various interests in a space where fashion design, modeling, cosmetology, poetry, and visual and performing arts are showcased to the Indianapolis community’s art patrons.

The collective is comprised of artists, creatives, and artrepreneurs of different backgrounds with a common goal of enhancing the creative experience of our local community. We are fashion influencers, techies, media professionals, creative directors, and performing artists. Though we all come from different disciplines & inhabit different spaces, the amalgamation of our experiences makes our collective perspective a new one we believe will take Indy’s creative scene to new heights.

As the Executive Producer and creator of F.A.M.E., Monty Matuka is a fashion influencer who is focused on creating a community for creatives throughout the city.

A full-time Sales Representative for Cintas Corporation, a Stylist for Saks Fifth Avenue, and a creator/designer of MELI, a high fashion mix between streetwear & traditional African attire, Monty is a fashion entrepreneur in the truest sense of the word. His creative vision and ability to execute under any situation is an integral aspect of F.A.M.E’s development.

A Kentucky born fashion “jill of all trades”, Mia is F.A.M.E’s Head of Styling . During the day, she is an apparel buyer at Finish Line HQ. Outside of her full time job, she is a freelance wardrobe stylist, designer, and lead stylist of Indiana Fashion Week.

To keep up with her style journey, follow Mia at @raemiastyle. You can also watch Raemia doing fashion segments on Wish-TV’s Indy Style lifestyle show.

Check out some of her latest articles and segments below!

• Four ways to wear your favorite leather jacket
• How to choose the right denim for your body type

Indy born, bred, and based artist & technologist Rich Trotman is a “jack of all trades” with mastery in music, and F.A.M.E’s Music Director. As a composer and multi-instrumentalist he’s exercised his gifts extensively on the local scene with venues ranging from the The Vogue to the IRT (Indiana Repertory Theatre). As a performer he’s shared the stage with an eclectic range of world class artists from Lalah Hathaway to George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic.

By day, he is the Senior Technology Manager for Drum Corps International (a pageantry performing arts non-profit – Marching Music’s Major League) where he oversees all technology initiatives and serves as broadcast engineer and technical director for live webcasts.

Every moment of everyday he is focused on utilizing his artistic gifts, technology acumen, and event logistics expertise to advance communication across barriers of language, culture, and class, affecting personal relationships and promoting balance.

A Brooklyn born content creator with roots in Nigeria, BJ is F.A.M.E’s Content Developer . A natural storyteller, BJ works by day for the Stacked Pickle Sports Bar Franchise as their Director of Marketing.

After hours, he is a content creator behind the PREP.BOY$ , a millennial media platform focused on the promotion of the 3 C’s (Culture, Creativity, and Community). He is also writes about Marketing, Branding, Content Creation, Philosophy, and Personal Development under the pen name: Profuse Habits.

LaKeisha is the Production Coordinator for F.A.M.E. In 2009, Brown created, produced, and invested in her very own variety artistry showcase, The Circus of Talent, giving birth to her top list of clients in fashion production and event management. Partnering with Celebrity Stylist Shyra Ely-Gash, Brown has produced over 20 fashion experiences creating her own lane in Indy’s fashion scene. One of Brown’s recent career highlights was serving as the Executive Creative Director to 2016 NCAA Women’s Final Four Brand Ambassador.

Styles by Ms. Ely and Brown kicked off Final Four Weekend by producing a fashion show featuring 80 VIP’s, and presented at Tourney Town, in front of a crowd of 8,000 guests. In her most recent success, Brown provided creative direction and produced a spectacular closing for the sold out 2019 Chris Smith All-Star Fashion Show in Charlotte, North Carolina. A talented and tenured production coordinator in the space, LaKeisha brings our team a diverse pot of experience creating and executing fashion productions, and a unique energy the team feeds off. Follow her at @brownkey on Instagram to keep up with her programs!

A Lagos born, NYC raised eclectic, Tolani is serving as F.A.M.E.’s Production Assistant . A hearty creative and natural techy, Tolani consistently finds ways to curate content and experiences in his daily work. By day, Tolani works at Eli Lilly as a Sr. IT Analyst & Execution Lead and is the National Chief of Staff for BDPA , a national non-profit focused on the growth of minorities in the corporate world and adding diversity to the STEM fields.

Tolani has modeled for Old Navy in New York and for local brands here in Indianapolis, while also serving as Creative Strategist for a number of photo shoots and digital campaigns. A creative and contributor of the PREP.BOY$ , he enjoys using photography and videography as creative outlets for sports, fashion, and music, and business. His knack for finding solutions to technical and creative problems is an integral part of F.A.M.E’s development. Follow his creative journey at @FlyGuy_95 !

Lalah is the Performance Director of F.A.M.E. She began her dance training at Kenyettá Dance Studio & Iibada Dance Company (Indianapolis, IN) and has since had the opportunity to study at Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, International Association of Blacks in Dance conferences and The Alvin Ailey School. Lalah earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from Indiana University Bloomington where she currently teaches Modern Dance as an adjunct faculty member. She is also on faculty for the Indianapolis Ballet Conservatory in Carmel, IN.

Lalah is a three time, consecutive recipient of the National Society of Arts and Letters’ Chapter Career Award in Dance for the Bloomington Chapter. Lalah has performed professionally with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater (Chicago, IL), Philadanco (Philadelphia, PA) and Elizabeth Shea Dance (Bloomington, IN). This is Lalah’s third season as Associate Artistic Director and Rehearsal Director for Kenyettá Dance Company.

She has recently introduced her newest venture, Saucy Stilettos , a dance class in heels. Lalah plans to keep creating, curating and cultivating the art of dance in the Indianapolis community. She also runs a workout motivation page called “Baddies With Bawdy” ( @BaddiesWithBawdy ). Her creative vision, performance expertise, and bubbly personality gives F.A.M.E a feminine touch and experiential diversity that is truly unique. You can follow her at @Lalah_Ayan to keep up with her performances and fashion escapades!

Stay tuned for more information & updates on the show, the content creators involved and more content from the F.A.M.E collective. The experience we are curating is one unlike any this city has ever seen. Make sure you grab your ticket while there’s still time!

F.A.M.E. - Fashion, Art, & Music Experience

And follow us on Instagram @fame.collective‼️

F.A.M.E. (@fame.collective) * Instagram photos and videos

F.A.M.E: Where Fashion, Art & Music Collide! was originally published in PREP CULTURE on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.