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Funk In Your Trunk
What's In Your Trunk?

Everyone loves to be unique — or at least look the part. These days, vintage clothing stores are everywhere you turn, and are undeniably hip destinations. Filing through dozens of hangers daily to find the perfect item is a common hobby around these parts, and Funk in the Trunk is here to put those pieces (and pieces that look like they could be those pieces) on display. Ris Tena, local B-girl and fashion enthusiast, wrangled a trusty crew to back her in her endeavor to create a mixture of music and fashion; something that’s not only an event, but a movement, an emotion, something that is going to seamlessly blend two of Detroit’s creative staples inside the cement architecture of 5E Gallery. Get ready to turn that junk in your trunk into pure funk.

Sippin’ on a variety of coffee drinks, Tena and her comrades, Piper Carter and Cyndy Johnson, discuss the logistics of their venture. All looking hip, even on a chilly Sunday afternoon, it’s clear that fashion means more to these ladies than just the clothes they wear — it’s a way of life. “It’s not about what you rock, it’s about how you rock what you got,” says Johnson, who is in charge of set design for the show. With the economy in shambles and cash flow being at an indefinite standstill, resale shopping seems to be the only way to get by. Tena takes this ideal a step further by collecting pieces that will soon find their way from the sales rack to her upcoming vintage sportswear webstore. Her collection, the GoldCrateClub, features vintage track jackets, sweat suits and wind breakers she’s seen during her time on the breakin’ circuit. “When I was living in Texas and would go to weekly B-boy practices there was a B-boy who would be selling track jackets and windbreakers outta his trunk,” she says, reminiscing about the boldly-colored attire.

Using the backdrop of the Foundation as a uniting cause, Tena, Carter and Johnson are striving to get the various counterparts of their weekly event into the spotlight. For Tena, fashion is a main interest. Bringing in the most creative people she knows in Carter and Johnson, Tena has found a modeling coach and a set designer. Carter, who has spent a lot of time in the fashion game, offers her expertise in handling and talking with models. Using her ingenuity in the field, Carter helped to handpick models for the show, while Johnson is working at maximizing the space’s potential. “It’s gonna have a vibe like you’re in a show in New York."

To add to the funk theme, Tena and crew needed to bring in designers and perfomers that fit the mold. With designers such as Angela McBride of Peace.Love.Spandex, Haleem Rasul of Hardcore Detroit (also offering his B-boy skills), Nneka Jackson of B-Flyy Creations, graffiti artist SinTex with MonsterCamp, Phillip Simpson and Eric Lowry with Freshman Clothing and others, paired with performers the likes of Miz Korona, Danny Brown, Street Justice, RenCen and Sheefy McFly, the night is promising to be anything but ordinary.

While the flowers outside have promised to blossom this spring, these fashion-forward femmes have promised to do the same. Talks of a fall fashion show are in the works, and the ladies assure you that this is not the last you’ll be hearing about them. As Carter states, “I think that here there’s so much talent and a lot of it is in the fashion game, and that’s starting to be seen.” Guess it’s time to let our clothes do the talking.  | RDW

Funk in the Trunk • 3/23, 7 p.m. • 5E Gallery • 2125 Michigan Ave • 5Egallery.org • $10, $15 front row



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