Being in New York, we get to take advantage of many of the great events and happenings that occur here, and one of those is New York Fashion Week. Last year we had a terrific Fashion Week event with the folks over at Nolcha, an award-winning fashion production company for up and coming designers, and this year we decided to get a little more intimate with an exclusive invite-only underground speakeasy.
Partnering with Higher Education and Condemned to Be Free, we took over an amazing downtown space and created a New York Fashion Week Speakeasy Benefit to celebrate Fashion Week and raise money for the film Our Medicine, a documentary about children with epilepsy and their rather unconventional medicine—cannabis!
The evening started with post-Valentine’s chocolate-covered strawberries and freshly buttered popcorn by CC Gregibles as the guests’ faces lit up with delight. As the night went on, so did the party, with revelers dancing to the alternating beats of DJs Jamie Rose and Kris Graham late into the evening, which is when the salted maple white and dark chocolate truffles by Baked Joint & Co. were served, and everyone went nuts! “They were mobbed!” said Graham. “The place was packed,” said added Rose. “You could barely move!”
Guests from all over the city turned out to to celebrate and support the cause, including Emmy-award winning documentary filmmaker Chris de la Torre, photographer/author Robert Herman, and celebrity stylist Raven Roberts. Writer & post-punk artist Vivien Goldman also showed up, telling Jena Min, one of the event’s organizers, “I just had to come and experience the new frontier in cannabis marketing for myself.”
Throughout the night, guests also had a chance to bid in a silent auction of luxury fashion and cannabis accessories donated by brands sold by The Shop at The Hemponair and luxe boutique Condemned to Be Free. Auction items included a limited-edition Scout Original x The Hemponair vintage postal tote, a one-of-a-kind “Mary Jane” painting by Iris Barbee Bonner of THESEPINKLIPS, a sterling silver one-hitter by JvdF, and Brooklyn-based Puffco’s newest vaporizer, the Puffco Pro 2.
“The occasion was filled with sophistication and an affection for great cannabis inventions,” said Puffco’s Vinson Sanders. “It’s always a pleasure to be around such a rare gathering of good people who love the industry as much as I do.”
There were even VIP gift bags with premium luxury cannabis-related items like Shine 24k gold rolling paper, Kannasör grinders, and hemp wellness products from Charlotte’s Web nestled in with, among other things, designer t-shirts from THEGR8ONE by Odari Reed.
“It was a stylish and smartly curated affair—and for a great cause!” Albert Beniada, Executive Director of Filmshop, said towards the end of the evening.
Indeed it was. Being in New York, we take pride in representing the broader cannabis community and those who enjoy its many benefits right here in the city, and just because New York is surprisingly behind the curve compared to our West Coast counterparts when it comes to cannabis and legalization, that doesn’t mean we can’t legally celebrate it. There are plenty of responsible ways to educate people right here in the city, and that’s exactly what we did—we just did it with a little style and flair, as any true “Hemponair” would.
If you didn’t get a chance to donate in person or weren’t at the event and would like to contribute, you can donate directly to the filmmaker, Ilka de Laat, via PayPal to ilkadelaat@gmail.com. You can also donate via the website at ourmedicinefilm.com.
In addition, thanks to our many generous sponsors listed below, we were able to continue our silent auction online. The auction is currently live with 100% of the proceeds going to the film Our Medicine. This is a great cause and anything you can contribute is greatly appreciated. You can check out the auction and place your bid here.
EVENT SPONSORS
Silent Auction:
RYOT, PUFFCO, Shine Gold Papers, Iris Barbee Bonner, Justin Von Der Fehr, Genius Pipe, Topstone, Evoxe Laboratories, Warren Bobrow, Stash Makers, and Scout Original.
Gift Bags:
THEGR8ONE, Kannastör, Charlotte’s Web, Genius Pipe, and Shine Gold Papers
Baked Goods:
Baked Joint & Co. and CC Gregibles
Photography by Briscoe Savoy
