I've always regarded events that are part of the RAW: Natural Born Artists franchise with caution. Firstly, because they're a franchise, based in Los Angeles, that hosts events in over 60 locations around the world to promote emerging local arts in each locale, which tells you something about how plugged in they are to your city's local arts scene, wherever you are.

I attended one of the early Portland events, and it was some kind of awful, a hodgepodge of clashing and amateur visual art, music, and fashion in a weird combo of under-attendance and chaos. I assumed it was just the result of ignorance and a desperation to fill the bill, and my low opinion has continued to be shaped by evidence of similarly poor curation; overreaching claims of relevance backed up by a roster of almost completely unknown and/or mediocre talent.

Apparently it gets worse, with a business model shaped around charging recruited artists high fees to be featured (which they can make back by selling tickets). The Cincinnati CityBeat published a lengthy article last year that lays out the controversy around the organization, including its resemblance to a pyramid scheme. It should be required reading for anyone considering participation in one of their events.

That said, insofar as their local fashion representation is concerned, they've succeeded in snaring at least two noteworthy designers: One was past participant Myriam Marcela, who I later helped vote for as the winner of the emerging designer competition at last fall's FashioNXT. The second is Noriko Kikuchi, who's relatively new to Portland but has had a lot of good, impressive exposure, including at London and New York fashion weeks—in other words, her take on apparel-as-art is worth introducing yourself to, even if you've been soured on the whole RAW thing. Here's a video collaboration she did in New York with Margret Seema Takyar featuring her "White" collection, and she'll be at RAW's "Grandeur" showcase next Thursday, March 5: