Santa Barbara County is blessed with a diversity of vital nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the health, well-being, growth, civic leadership and compassion of our community.
Charitable giving and philanthropy are part of our identity, which is why Noozhawk is proud to support the nonprofit community through sponsoring local community organizations and events.
To showcase our support as a sponsor of the event, Balenciaga Through the Lens of Tom Kublin, Noozhawk spoke with Cara Austine-Rademaker, Founder and Director at Couture Pattern Museum to learn more about their event.
Question: What is the name and date of your event?
Answer: Balenciaga Through the Lens of Tom Kublin, November 12, 2024. The event will take place from 5pm-6pm with dinner afterwards.
Q: What is the mission, goal, and/or theme of this occasion?
A: This evening is a follow-up to the blockbuster exhibition in 2022 at the Balenciaga Museum in Getaria, Spain. When the authors, Maria Kublin and Ana Balda recently published their book, Balenciaga-Kublin: A Fashion Record, we wanted to bring the story of one of fashion’s greatest collaborations to our community in Santa Barbara.
Maria Kublin is the daughter of photographer Tom Kublin, and international supermodel, Katinka Bleeker, and she is flying all the way from Europe to be with us. Maria just gave a sold-out presentation in London as a guest speaker at the renowned V&A Museum, and this is her first North American lecture upon the book’s release.
This will be her first-ever visit to the United States, so I am hoping the community can welcome her with open arms, welcoming her, not just to Santa Barbara, but to America as well.
This event strongly aligns with our educational initiative, and we will also be exhibiting a rare chemise Balenciaga dress from the Couture Pattern Museum’s collection. It was skillfully sewn in Balenciaga’s Paris atelier before he closed his house in the 1960s, but there is a twist: this dress will be displayed inside out to reveal its skillful construction.
We want to offer guests a close look at the skill and craftsmanship involved in a Balenciaga haute couture piece, and why some believe haute couture is considered an elevated art form.
Q: Have you held this event before?
A: No, this is the first time we are bringing this event, Balenciaga Through the Lens of Tom Kublin to Santa Barbara, and we hope it marks the beginning of more unique and meaningful events at the intersection of fashion, art, and culture.
As the only fashion-focused museum on the central coast, we initially focused the museum’s efforts on community accessible events, and mounted our six previous fashion exhibits for free. This is the first time we are charging for an event, and we certainly do not want to abandon our museum’s local friends and visitors. However, due to limited space, and to help cover the costs of an event of this scale, unfortunately, we couldn’t make this event free.
In the future, sponsors and donors could help make events of this caliber more financially accessible to the community. We will, however, be recording the evening and will make portions of the event more accessible to the community, and for those who were unable to join us. The museum also has sponsors and founding members all over the world who will also be excited to view the event online.
Q: Tell us some more details about your celebration?
A: The event will be held at the University Club of Santa Barbara, where Maria Kublin will share insights into her father’s photographic work and legacy. As mentioned, guests will be able to examine an authentic Balenciaga dress from our museum collection, displayed inside out. As fashion has become less humanized and taken over by machines and off-the-rack clothes, our visitors are often inspired to see such beautiful hand craftsmanship.
Seeing someone’s hand work, especially coming out of Balenciaga’s own atelier, instills a level of aspiration and awe. And, of course, we help educate that the art of creating haute couture is less about status, and more about hand craftsmanship. Until you’ve examined art pieces like this, it is difficult to understand, because most people don’t think about what their clothes look like inside or how they are constructed.
Our special VIP guests will receive a signed copy of Balenciaga – Kublin: A Fashion Record, an elegant tote bag for carrying their book, and an included prix fixe wine dinner.
We also have a surprise this evening: a living haute couture master will be addressing the audience and presenting on video, highlighting Balenciaga’s influence on the trajectory of fashion. It will be an evening of culture, community, beauty, education, craftsmanship, and history.
Q: How do people get involved with your event? (volunteer, attend, etc.) – If your event includes ticket sales, please note the price and include a link to purchase tickets?
A: VIP tickets are the only tickets available at this time. If you are already a Founding Member, you receive a 20% discount on the price. Due to the high cost of organizing an event of this scale, we currently have VIP tickets only, priced at $350.
If you think about it, the tickets are a significant value. You receive: attendance at an exclusive, intimate event; a signed art book; a sponsored pattern in the museum’s database; an elegant tote bag; as well as wine, appetizers, and an included sit-down dinner experience.
The reason why the ticket is all inclusive is because we didn’t want our guests to worry about anything, the moment you walk through the door, you can relax and be taken care of. People can attend by purchasing VIP tickets at Couture Pattern Museum Events.
Q: Is this a fundraising affair? If so, how will the funds raised help your organization?
A: This event helps cover the portion of the costs of our educational fashion events in Santa Barbara. The VIP tickets are not enough to cover the entire event, but every ticket we sell helps. We are hoping to continue to build relationships with sponsors and donors over time. We are currently operating at capacity, but even at capacity, we are putting on some gorgeous, meaningful events for the community.
Q: Who is sponsoring your event, and why is their support important?
A: While we do not have traditional sponsors for this event, we are working in conjunction with the University Club of Santa Barbara, the most gracious and generous haute couture designer, Ralph Rucci, as well as the team at Thames & Hudson, publishers of Balenciaga – Kublin: A Fashion Record. Their involvement allows us to create a memorable experience for guests while highlighting the museum’s commitment to fashion heritage.
Q: Do you work with an Event Planner? If not, who are the key people who make it all happen?
A: The event is organized by the Couture Pattern Museum team in collaboration with managers Ammanjah de Vries and Sarah Rudd at the University Club. RJ & Cara Austine-Rademaker, the museum’s founders and directors, oversee the overall event planning. We are also working with Ellie Stayner and JP Montalvo at TV Santa Barbara to record the event. It is actually amazing to see all we have accomplished with such a small team. It shows you that passion will find a way!
Q: Does your organization have any other upcoming events this year?
A: Yes, we’ve just signed contracts with the Hamilton Millard estate to present some intimate portraits of never-seen-before Audrey Hepburn photographs, which will be displayed in our new Santa Barbara museum space at 1525 State Street. We are also working on a special event and book signing with Meghan Friedlander, who is the co-author with Audrey Hepburn’s son, Luca Dotti, for the book Audrey in Paris. So get ready for Audrey next year!
Q: What are you planning as a post-event follow-up?
After the event, we’ll share photos and special moments in our newsletter and on social media. We plan to make segments of this footage available to our community members with an opportunity to watch the event and related video presentations on our website. We thank our guests who have already purchased VIP tickets for their support. We have really exciting events and exhibitions coming up!
To attend or learn more about the Balenciaga Through the Lens of Tom Kublin event, click HERE.
If you would like to apply for Noozhawk’s 50/50 Match Sponsorship Program for your upcoming nonprofit event please click HERE to view our sponsorship application. The deadline for consideration is 30-45 days prior to the event. You can also contact our sales team at sales@noozhawk.com.