VOA常速英语2018--华盛顿时装周吸引全球设计师一展风采（在线收听）

I am a self-taught designer. I’ve always been a lover of fashion. I have taken classes after I got further in my career to kind of hone into my craft. But my background is actually in computer engineering.

我成为设计师全靠自学。我对时尚一直都很感兴趣。我的事业有起色之后，我就报了班，想精进自己的技艺。但我的专业本来是计算机工程。

Ean Williams found a DC fashion week 14 years ago in the nation’s capital. D.C., of course, is known for politics. But there are so many things to do in Washington, from opera to museums to concerts to theatres to great poolside parties and mainstream society events to after-parties. There are so many great opportunities for people to dress to impress.

14年前，伊恩 威廉斯(Ean Williams)在首都邂逅了一场时尚周。华盛顿当然是以政治闻名。但在华盛顿可以做很多事情，比如歌剧、博物馆、演唱会、剧院，可以办超棒的泳池派对、主流社会活动、庆功酒会等等。大家多得是机会着装打扮，让人记住。

DC Fashion Week started with local designers showcasing their collections and has evolved into an international event attracting designers from all over the world who sometimes bring exotic textiles. We’ve used textiles such as this from Thailand, mixing it with American textiles and a Syrian as well. We have Appalachian textiles. I have some of the textiles that I’ve created myself out of felt using a Ukrainian technique. We have hand-painted pieces that have text pictures from that I’ve painted of Beijing. We have West African textiles here. Ellen London who collaborates with a Thai designer says her use of mixed textiles is all about diversity and inclusivity. I believe that textiles and fashion have an idea to teach people about understanding and connection of different cultures through fabric. London’s message is in sync with that of Williams.

一开始，华盛顿时装周是让当地的设计师们展示自己的作品集，后来就演变成了国际盛事，吸引了世界各地设计师的关注，呈现了异域风情的织品。我们采用过很多国外的织品，比如这个作品就是泰国设计师的。我们将这个作品跟美国以及叙利亚的织品融合在一起。这里也有阿巴拉契亚山脉的织品。这里有些作品也是我本人做的，但用到了乌克兰的工艺。我们还有很多手绘作品，上面有我画的北京印象。这里也有西非设计师的作品。艾伦 伦敦(Ellen London)跟一位泰国设计师进行了合作。艾伦觉得，她对混合织品的使用丰富多变，包容性强。我觉得，无论是织品还是时尚都有一种理念在，能让人通过这些织品去理解不同的文化，并与不同的文化产生联系。伦敦传达的信息与威廉的想法不谋而合。

We started with inclusivity. We started with having diverse models, models of different sizes; model of different ages because we feel that fashion is for everyone. Those attending really like it. I’m from Pakistan. It’s my first time at DC fashion week. I really enjoyed the show. I loved how inclusive it was. There were models of every size, and there was a hijabi and everything. The nonprofit organizations week-long event at different locations offers an opportunity for emerging designers as well as established ones.

我们的出发点是包容性，是多样化的模式，是不同身材、年龄的模特，因为我们觉得每个人都可以参与时尚。参加活动的人都很喜欢这次活动。我来自巴基斯坦。这是我第一次参加华盛顿时装周。我真地很享受这次活动。我爱它的包容性。这里的模特身材不一，有的戴着头巾和其他配饰。非营利组织历时一周在不同的地方提供了机会，让新设计师崭露头角，让老牌设计师亮相展示。