By Cary Shuman
Eleny Rossi, a 2014 graduate of Pope John XXIII High School, made an auspicious debut as an event planner, packing the Lynn Museum for a showcase of fashion, music, dancing, and poetry.
Rossi and her friend, Jillian Rodriguez, co-founded Regal Collaborations in July, and the “Fashion Showcase” event Saturday was their first effort.
“We’ve known each other for about ten years,” said Rossi. “We met when we were students at UMass/Amherst. We had gone to a high-energy fashion show in Lawrence last year, and we thought, how great would it be to have an event like this in Lynn where we could showcase different forms of creativity and talent and bring the Lynn community together.”
The atmosphere inside the venue was electric and co-hosts Bright Osajie and Angelica Castillo opened the program.
With the assistance of Regal Collaborations’ Fashion Showcase model coordinator Adesuwa Usuanlele, the two leaders of Regal Collaborations invited several models to walk the runaway in fashions, ranging from streetwear to luxury, and featuring eight different designers. One of the models for Daumos was Everett native and popular food show host Victoria Fabbo.
Owner of a baking business
Rossi, 29, who graduated from UMass Amherst with a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management, is also the owner of El’s Flour Garden, which bakes cakes and other goods for birthdays and special occasions through the region.
Rodriguez, 27, who graduated from UMass Amherst with a degree in Public Health, has left the field of higher education “to shift and focus on my creative avenue right now.”
Rodriguez has started her own crochet line for apparel and handbags called Let’s Be Knotty.
At UMass, the two women were involved in the Latinos Unidos group. “That’s what really sparked my interest in event planning since we did a lot of events at college,” related Rossi.
Rossi said she is “very excited” about the response to her first event-planning venture.
“It was very heartwarming to see the community come out and fill the seats,” said Rossi. “We had to take out more chairs than we anticipated, so that was a pleasant experience.”
“Our emphasis is to bring communities together,” said Rodriguez. “Our whole mission is yes, we want to plan fun events, but we want to showcase local businesses, local talent, local artists and bring people together.”
Rossi said she and Rodriguez are planning their next event. “We’re thinking of hosting paint nights, open microphone nights, and other fun events,” said Rodriguez.
Rossi played four years of varsity volleyball at Pope John XXIII High School, where she was an outstanding student. Reflecting on her high school career, Rossi offered, “I loved Pope John. It was a tight-knit community where everyone knew each other. There were people from difference cities, and it was nice to be there and just learn from each other.”