Couture On The Hoover Dam By Jessica Minh Anh

Known for creating hydroelectric power and being a feat of American engineering, the Hoover Dam is one of Nevada’s tourist attractions, set against the Black Canyon and Lake Mead. But a runway for haute couture?
For her summer 2017 spectacular, Vietnamese model and show producer Jessica Minh Anh, who stages elaborate fashion shows around the globe, turned the Hoover Dam into a catwalk. “The most exquisite designs should be premiered at the best of locations,” Anh tells Culture Trip. “Today, a beautiful catwalk set up alone is no longer good enough.”

Expect nothing less from the woman for whom the entire world is a runway.

In the past, Anh has produced haute couture fashion shows at the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Canyon, and London’s Tower Bridge. “I love combining fashion with culture, art, architecture, and especially technology to promote a worthy development,” she says. “Renewal energy is on top of my list. Innovative catwalks require guts and hard work, and a talented team of creative individuals.”

Ani Alvarez Calderon collection at Jessica Minh Anh’s Hoover Dam show

Anh’s latest fashion show set on the Hoover Dam featured designers from four continents. Participants included: Award-winning designer Syeda Amera from Pakistan, Brazilian haute couturier Patricia Nascimento, the new French label Kine Dione, Turkish designer Gulnur Gunes, South American designer Christian Zerrá, Hong Kong-based brand Kaprice, the Malaysian brand Emmanuel Haute Couture, and the Peruvian label Ani Alvarez Calderon.

Using global locations as inspiration for her spectacular shows, Anh’s productions include up to 50 crew members.

Jessica Minh Anh backstage at Hoover Dam Show

“I hope the world will continue to be surprised as I still have a lot in store for the next shows,” says Anh.

Kine Dione at Jessica Minh Anh’s Hoover Dam Show

That’s a wrap, for now.

About the author

Jill Di Donato

Fashion Editor

Jill is a New York native who holds a BA in Literature from Barnard College, and an MFA in writing from Columbia University. She is the author of the novel Beautiful Garbage (She Writes Press, 2013) about the downtown Manhattan art and fashion scene in the 1980s. A former staff writer for The Huffington Post and Bustle, Jill comes to Culture Trip after working with Refinery 29, Vice, Salon, Paste Style, Los Angeles Times, Nylon, Shopify, Autre, and producing content for emerging fashion labels. She teaches classes about fashion and culture at Barnard College and The Fashion Institute of Technology. Her prized possessions are her Gucci fanny pack, vintage rocker t-shirts, and her grandmother's collection of costume jewelry. She's always on the lookout for a gem-encrusted turban.