Behind the Scenes of Alter Ego’s Bumbershoot Fashion Show
The audience saw roughly 30 minutes of UNFRAMED. They were never supposed to see what it took to make those 30 minutes happen.
On September 5 and 6, 2026, Alter Ego Expressions presented UNFRAMED at the Bumbershoot Fashion District runway at Seattle Center. Conceived by founder and artist Ayanna Ali as a living gallery, the two performances brought original artwork into character-driven garments, handmade masks, movement and live painting onstage.
Behind the runway was a moving system across garment construction, model coaching, movement, dressing, hair, makeup, sound, photography, technical production and backstage operations. The cleaner the show looked from the audience, the more invisible that machinery had become.
In four months, the team expanded a two-garment starting point into 18 custom-fitted looks for two public performances. Construction, fittings, rehearsals, character development and technical coordination had to advance together.
Backstage team sorting illustrated garments and accessories for UNFRAMED. Photo: Courtesy of Alter Ego Expressions.
The invisible work was the point
Dressers and production assistants staged garments and accessories, helped with changes and kept backstage transitions moving between appearances. The success of that work was measured partly by how invisible it became: if the audience never saw the scramble, the system was doing its job.
Runway Consultants helped models develop character posture, pacing and intention. Hair and makeup teams transformed recognizable faces into people who looked as though they belonged inside the Alter Ego universe. Production assistants and stage crew moved information and materials wherever the show needed them.
Every department was touching the same 30 minutes
Deidre Ali produced UNFRAMED, executing the vision and bringing together the crew, rehearsal plans and logistics needed to stage two performances. She directed the choreography, shaping how models and movement artists used the runway. As Stage Manager, she developed the backstage organization system, tracked backstage readiness, entrances and wardrobe changes so each part of the show was prepared when called. Tiffany Shamboso stepped into the showrunner and called the live show so those transitions could happen on cue.
Tanya Greigorian helped turn sketches and patterns into runway-ready garments, while Andreya Taylor contributed to the construction of two pieces in the collection. Andreya and Cesha Rozel then worked as Senior Runway Consultants, coaching the models on posture, pace and how to inhabit each persona. Their walk direction helped the performers carry those garments with more confidence, especially in the second show.
Backstage, lead dresser Celeste worked with Erica, Audrey and Eddie to stage the looks, manage changes and keep each garment and accessory ready for its next entrance. Their work had to be precise and quick: the audience saw a finished character, while the dressers handled the practical steps that made the reveal possible.
Movement artists Emily Zar and Stephanie Silvis added another layer of motion to the runway. Carrying large framed artworks, they performed improvisational moves around the models and responded to the action on the runway as it unfolded, making their movement part of the show’s story.Their presence helped carry the opening, the character reveals and the final tableau.
Tim Huong shaped the makeup direction that helped distinguish the characters, and he and Brianna Cooke brought the characters’ looks to life for both performances. Hair had its own character work: Tamiya Capewell executed Jenelle’s Hime Wolf Cut and Mason’s cut, Reuben Turk created the natural hairstyles Britt and Gat wore on the runway, and Laurence Wulfe created five wigs that expanded the range of transformations possible onstage.
Elijah Vick directed A/V and technical production while also serving as the live announcer, linking the audience to what was unfolding onstage. Alan Szymkowiak, also known as DJ Alan Wives, directed the music that carried the runway’s pace and atmosphere. Their cues and sound gave the performers a shared rhythm to move through.
Makeup artist applying a UNFRAMED model's eye makeup before the runway. Photo: Chloe Collier (@hi_chloetry) Courtesy of Alter Ego Expressions.
A garment could not be treated as finished simply because the sewing was complete. The look still had to survive fittings, movement, quick changes, lighting, hair, makeup and character direction.
That collaborative process is what allowed UNFRAMED to become more than a collection of individual outfits. Sound, movement, beauty and backstage timing all had to support the same world.
The show only looked effortless because the team did not
Ayanna Ali created and directed the UNFRAMED concept, but the runway only became real because a Seattle creative community agreed to build it together.
The post-show story is therefore also a record of the people who made the transformation possible: the hands pinning a garment seconds before an entrance, the dresser protecting a fragile detail, the makeup artist repeating a character look for day two, the runway consultant adjusting a pace, the technician hitting a cue and the assistant moving through backstage before anyone had to ask.
UNFRAMED looked like a living gallery because the team kept its many moving parts together.
As Alter Ego develops future presentations, it is seeking partners to create paid opportunities for the artists and production professionals behind that work, along with support for wardrobe care, venue adaptation and new documentation.