Those who know Soreyda Benedit-Begley today likely know her as someone whose life is teeming with people, colors, textures and events. As a fashion designer, seamstress and creative and dedicated community organizer, Benedit-Begley fills her days working on commissions, scheduling fittings, coordinating photo shoots and runway events, and serving on a variety of local boards and committees. Add to that equation raising three children and participating in various public speaking events, and life is, well, busy.
“It’s a lot,” Benedit-Begley said with a laugh. “Just when I think I’m learning to slow down, my mind starts thinking about the next thing and planning begins.”
The artist – whose planning fortitudes have most recently focused on co-organizing this month’s Future of Fashion event, which takes place March 13-14 at the Thoroughbred Center – admits her life hasn’t always been so bustling. Born with asthma in Puente Alto, a small, rural village on the Caribbean coast of Honduras, Benedit-Begley was often sick as a child and recalls feeling isolated as a result.
“I didn’t get to go to school until I was almost 8 years old – I have memories of being lonely,” she said. “It made me develop a very active imagination.”
Early on, she found ways to channel that loneliness into creativity, spending much of her childhood drawing, sewing and making things.
“When I eventually went to school, I was always the weird kid making stuff,” she said. “But later, I was the kid people came to when there was something artistic that needed to be done.”
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Soreyda Benedit-Begley (right), her husband Chris Begley (center), hang out on stage at The Lyric Theatre with their children Bella, William and Aaron. Photo by Tatiana Aristizabal
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Soreyda Benedit-Begley (center), her husband Chris Begley (to her right), hang out at The Lyric Theatre with their children (from left to right) Aaron, William and Bella. Photo by Tatiana Aristizabal
Growing up in an impoverished area caused her to experience art differently than people in more urban settings, she said.
“There was not a clear understanding of what an artist does,” she explained. “It took me a while to see myself as an artist and designer.”
Benedit-Begley’s early experiences with the fashion industry were also significantly different than many people who grew up in the United States. At age 14, she started working in Honduran clothing factories, often referred to as “sweatshops,” during her breaks from school – sometimes up to 16 hours a day.
She grew to realize that she would likely never see the opportunity to use her education and skills in a way she found fulfilling if she stayed in her village, so at age 20 she moved to Batalla, a larger village in the “La Mosquitia” region of Honduras, also known as The Mosquito Coast. In Batalla, she got a job working with the local forest service and soon met Chris Begley, an archeologist originally from Kentucky whose doctoral studies focused on the remote jungles of the Mosquito Coast. The two have now been married for over 20 years, having started their new lives together in Lexington soon after they met in Honduras. (Begley, an archeology professor at Transylvania University, regularly leads archeological digs in the United States and abroad, and was named “One of the World’s Most Adventurous Men” by Men’s Journal Magazine in 2015.)
In Lexington, Begley-Benedit has found ways to positively integrate her passion for making things as a way to connect with others. In 2009, she collaborated with Lexington photographer Richie Wireman, along with two models and a makeup artist, on the first “Future of Fashion” event, a creative runway show that encourages innovation. That event led to the creation of the Lexington Fashion Collaboration, an organization that Benedit-Begley co-founded (though she eventually stepped away from the group), which has brought together dozens of local models, make-up artists, designers and photographers over the past decade.
“All the creative work I have done in fashion [is a result of] moving to Lexington, where these opportunities existed,” she said. “Wearing clothes is the most human thing there is. I don’t take for granted the privilege of being able to share my work and use it as a way to connect with people.”
Soreyda Benedit-Begley. Photo by Tatiana Aristizabal
Soreyda Benedit-Begley recently took some time from her busy schedule preparing for the Future of Fashion event to answer some questions about her inspiration for Local Luminaries writer Celeste Lewis.
You mentioned that when you first arrived in Lexington, you didn’t speak English. What can you say about the process of learning a new language as an adult? Fortunately, I am a fast learner. English is my third language, and I believe once you have learned a second language a third comes easier. I had always been fascinated by American culture, and it inspired me to read and watch everything I could get my hands on – that helps you to figure out the language.
How did you become involved in local issues facing people of color in the Bluegrass? Artists/entrepreneurs in all communities, and especially in communities of color, are almost automatically viewed as leaders. One can choose to embrace that title or not. I chose to embrace it and use the visibility to bring people from different walks of life together. I’m ethnically and culturally ambiguous, and I see that as a great advantage in a rapidly evolving world. People are migrating more than ever, and the ability to connect and work with different types of people has become pretty much a survival tool of the trade. We are in the pinnacle of an era of ‘survival of the most adaptable.’
What changes would you like to see in Lexington? Lexington has changed tremendously since I first arrived here. I have seen so much growth in support for the arts and initiatives to have many voices heard.
I would like to see more financial support for projects initiated and led by people of color. Access to networks is crucial and so is the ability to get the needed financial and moral support to keep initiatives going. We love to talk diversity but keep tokenizing people. I see so many incredible leaders of color making big moves, and that excites me and gives me hope, but I know from my experience how exhausting it is to be trying to do good when the support isn’t there from those who have the most.
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Soreyda Benedit-Begley helps dress her daughter, Bella Begley, for a photo shoot in promotion of the upcoming Future of Fashion event. Photo by Tatiana Aristizabal
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Soreyda Benedit-Begley helps dress her daughter, Bella Begley, for a photo shoot in promotion of the upcoming Future of Fashion event. Photo by Tatiana Aristizabal
What’s a tool you can’t live without? A measuring tape. I’m an obsessive measurement taker.
What is the most unusual material you have ever used in a design? I created a bodysuit made from wetsuits and diving breathing tubes for one of my favorite events that we ever did with the Lexington Fashion Collaborative. The idea was to get “trash” from local businesses and turn it into art. The suit was so hot and heavy!
The model wearing it had to get out of it every so often.
What inspires you? As a community organizer I get inspired by people’s desire to share their creativity. Most artists want people to see and enjoy their work. When I meet new artists, young or young at heart, I get excited about organizing an event to give them a platform to show their work and help people come together in a relaxed and beautiful environment to meet each other.
As a designer, I’m almost always inspired by nature – I’m looking at the shapes and movements of trees, flowers, rivers and mountains and imagining the next thing I’m going to create. Natural landscapes give me the tranquility to be able to relax and dream. In my everyday life, I am always running around trying to take care of things. When I’m outside, away from my sewing machine and my to-do list, this is when I get creative.
What is a dream project you hope to create someday? I would love to make an evening wear collection made of all-natural fiber. Because of the current changes surrounding growing hemp here in the United States, I’m very excited about the possibility of using fabrics made from locally grown hemp.
What is a favorite place in Lexington?
The Lyric Theatre – we attend events, workshops and gallery exhibits there quite often. My husband and I also love to meet for lunch at El Rancho Tapatìo.
What is something you wish everyone knew about your work? That it has a lot of purpose. That it’s an art and outlet for self-expression. It takes a lot of courage for any creative to put their work in front of people; I assure you everyone has an opinion about fashion!
What is the best advice you ever got? Sleep more. I have been trying it, and I do feel more focused. For years, I have been sleeping on average five hours per night – I’m making a great effort to sleep at least six.
What are you most proud of in your work in Lexington? For me and other artists who arrived from other places, we’ve made Lexington home. I’m very proud of my friends – the art scene, all the artists and creatives who are open to collaboration and creating beauty and happiness. So many creatives from so many different cultures have committed to make Lexington a home for artists.
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This year’s Future of Fashion event has a “surrealism” theme, including designs inspired by Salvadaor Dali. Above, models Lida Kane, Laura Kirkpatrick and Bella Begley model designs created by Soreyda Benedit-Begley for the upcoming show. Photo by Tatiana Aristizabal
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This year’s Future of Fashion event has a “surrealism” theme, including designs inspired by Salvadaor Dali. Above left is a hemp silk dress created by Benedit-Begley for the upcoming show. Photo by Wandering Elm Photography; Concept and hair dress by Josh Samples; Dress by Soredya Begley.
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Model Bella Begley models a design created by her mother Soreyda Benedit-Begley for the upcoming show. Photo by Tatiana Aristizabal
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Model Lida Kane models a design created by Soreyda Benedit-Begley for the upcoming show. Photo by Tatiana Aristizabal
The Future of Fashion
March 13-14 • (7 p.m. both nights) • The Thoroughbred Center, 3380 Paris Pike. Tickets and more details at www.soreyda.com.
The Future of Fashion is an immersive multi-media runway-style show that started in 2009 as a collaboration between Lexington designer Soreyda Benedit-Begley and photographer Richie Wiremen along with a small handful of models and make-up artists. Designed to draw awareness to Lexington’s multi-tiered fashion scene and to give young designers a “platform for innovation,” the event has been on hiatus since 2013 but returns this year with a special tribute to surrealism, inspired by the artist Salvador Dali.
Friday, March 13: “International Night” Local designers will present traditional and contemporary designs that represent different parts of the world. The evening will also feature a pop-up shop of local and regional artists, music and a fashion and dance showcase.
Saturday, March 14: Sarah Estes Sustainable Design Competition
Ten selected local designers will each create two different looks for this competition: A “ready to wear” look and an avant-garde look. The catch is that 60 percent of the materials in the designs must be made from hemp fiber, a sustainable alternative to traditional fabrics. Judges include former “America’s Top Model” contestant Laura Kirkpatrick, and Sophisticated Living editor Bridget Williams. The winner of the competition will receive $1,000 and a feature fashion editorial in the magazine Sophisticated Living.
Both nights will feature a silent auction, with proceeds benefitting the organization La Casa de Cultura de Kentucky. The weekend will also feature multi-cultural clothing showcases and performances by organizations that include Casa de la Cultura de Kentucky, Shuling Studio, Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Blackbird Dance Theatre, Dance Studio Kalei Apikai and the Bluegrass Indo-American Society.