One of the most joyful fashion and art events in the Bay Area returns with a brand-new award and a performance by a three-time Grammy winner.
The Oakland art center for artists with developmental disabilities Creative Growth hosts its Beyond Trend fashion show and gala this year at the Ciel Creative Space in Berkeley. The runway presentation is the biggest ever, with more than 100 looks modeled by the artists who created them.
Following the show, guests can shop the looks and other works by Creative Growth artists.
Soundscapes by Fela Kutchii and a drag performance curated by Oaklash round out the first portion of the evening.
But instead of a formal gala banquet, Creative Growth is throwing a combination “Soup Party” and “Cake Parade” co-hosted by longtime supporters of the organization Kim Hastreiter, the legendary New York connector and Paper magazine co-founder, and siblings Chris and Ben Ospital, owners of the San Francisco boutique Modern Appealing Clothing.
Hastreiter, the author of the 2025 art book memoir “Stuff,” has been hosting soup parties for years as a way of sharing her favorite recipes. For Beyond Trend, 20 Bay Area chefs are preparing giant pots of congee, matzo ball soup, ribollita and tom yum. For dessert, students from the Oakland School of the Arts are decorating 20 fabulous cakes. The grand finale is a performance by singer-songwriter Fantastic Negrito.
This year also marks the debut of the Kim Hastreiter Amazing Award, to recognize “individuals who push the boundaries of creativity.” Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic Jerry Saltz is the inaugural recipient. Acclaimed curator and director of White Columns art gallery Matthew Higgs is the gala’s guest of honor.