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Laura Aidan and Chris Cantoya on Stylish Socializing
Friends on the run, model Laura Aidan and designer Chris Cantoya adorn just about every fashion event in Austin.
The married twentysomething Aidan and the single thirtysomething Cantoya — fashion folks don’t cotton to exact ages in print — find out about shows, parties and charity gigs from Facebook friends and the digital newsletters produced by event promoters.
The duo coordinates social calendars through texts and, when they arrive at a gathering, alone or together, they head straight to the bar, the first point of contact for any such conclave.
“It’s booze, buddies and bodies, in that order,” says Cantoya before turning serious about the business side of stylish socializing. “It’s really about networking and promoting your work. You often wear what you make. And support whoever is out there.”
“Fashion folks are outgoing, gregarious people,” Aidan says. “They also work in teams, so the networking leads to collaboration. At these parties, you wear clothes you might not otherwise have an occasion to wear.”
Between the two, Aidan, represented by Sue Webber Productions and Agence Talent, was the the fashion industry early bird. The Iowa City, Iowa native — her parents worked in or around the University of Iowa — was discovered at age 12.
A friend and that friend’s mother urged Aidan to answer an ad in the local newspaper. Although shy at first, she was doing mall shows within weeks, and was hired for a New York gig at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, modeling Kenra Hair Care products, by age 14.
Her Manhattan visit led to representation by IMG Models and international gigs, including a London shoot that, through improvisation, incorporated elements of a real hotel fire.
““I just feel comfortable in front of a camera,” she says.
That promisng career almost ended before it began when her first agent ran into legal troubles. “Enough of these fashion people!” her mother said. But Aidan won a second chance through another Iowa agent and persevered. She was not alone.
“I don’t know if it’s the fresh air or the wholesome farm life,” Aidan says, “but there’s a lot of beautiful girls — and beautiful boys in Iowa.”
Her mother allowed Aidan to live in New York during the summers and travel for shoots, as long as she kept up her grades.
“I had a pretty typical happy childhood otherwise,” she says.
She gave up modeling for a while to complete computer science and English literature degrees at the University of Iowa. Besides, she understood that modeling game pays out for only a select few.
“There must be 5,000 girls in New York, the most beautiful and interesting, plucked from small towns all over the world,” she says, “but only a handful make a living at it.”
Cantoya came to fashion indirectly. The San Antonio native, whose father moved from one U.S. Air Force base to another, counted many retailers in his family.
Yet music was his main love while attending high school and the University of Nebraska in Omaha, Neb. Back then, the local indie rock scene centered around Conor Oberst and Saddle Creek Records.
“I kinda went crazy socially,” Cantoya says. “But didn’t get arrested or mipped (minor in possession of alcohol)”
He played in a band called the Atlas, then inched into his eventual calling by designing the act’s posters and T-Shirts. That lead to work with the 89 Talent modeling school and agency, and to producing a boutique fashion show — in a warehouse in sub-zero February weather.
“But we packed the place out,” Cantoya says. “It was one of the best experiences of my life.”
At this point, all he knew about Austin was the “MTV Real World” season shot here, and roundly disowned by locals. Then, as with so many young creative types, he visited South by Southwest, which also convinced Aidan and her husband to move here.
A week after arriving, Cantoya modeled at Cream Vintage fashion show. A few weeks later, he volunteered for Stitch Fashion Show. He met Aidan and her husband, also Chris, at a New Year’s Eve party.
Cantoya remembers: “I knew she had the look.”
The pair of eventual friends were skinny by most modern standards. She’s five-foot, nine-inches, he’s “six feet-zero,” industry minimums. Both lead from warm, oversized eyes. His features fade into dark margins, while her prominent jaw line above a swan-like neck sets her bone structure apart and begs comparison to Audry Hepburn or Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
“She’s got a classy look,” Cantoya says. “And she’s very versatile. You can’t tell where she’s from.”
“People like to guess my heritage,” Aidan says. “Most often I get Eastern European, Persian, Spanish, Russian, French.”
At that first party, Aidan’s husband, also named Chris, an aspiring photographer, proposed making Cantoya the subject of a shoot. Thus, the blended friendships. (Chris No. 2 is chief information security officer at Freescale; together, he and his wife are working on a mountain biking application for iPhone.)
It was Cantoya who recommended Aidan to Sue Webber, the doyenne of Austin agents. Aidan helps pay for a downtown lifestyle by working as a software developer at Pearson Educational Measurement.
To suit her schedule, Aidan’s fashions shoots and shows are spread out every other week. Some recent gigs: Dave & Buster’s national campaign, Shoebuy.com multimedia modeling, Inca Boot Co. campaign.
“I have to turn down more (modeling) than I’d like because of my day job,” she says.
Cantoya now works as a merchandizer for L’Oreal, Mabelline and others. As such, he’s in charge of organizing products, fixtures, racks, walls, displays and mannequins. He broadened his skills by taking classes at the Austin School of Fashion Design.
“They teach you want you need to learn, not theory,” he says. “It’s very down to earth.”
Cantoya made a splash with his design company, Mint Owl, which specializes in mod ties. The name combines the ideas o f “mint condition” with “night owl,” and was also inspired by bird logo designer brands.
“I had 40 normal fat ties and I’m a skinny guy and skinny ties were in, so I just folded them over and ran the stitch over it like a lawnmower.”
The thin strips of fabric, which betray an embroidered, quilted quality, are sold by Neiman Marcus and (online) by the Estilo boutique.
During Austin Fashion Week, this pair will attend runway shows, the closing awards ceremony, and the array of before-and-after parties.
“I squeeze a lot out of life,” Aidan says. “And I still really like pretty clothes and creative people.”
NOTE: Sorry no image as of yet because of technical difficulties.
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By Amelia
August 11, 2010 3:54 AM | Link to this
Laura Aidan and Chris Cantoya should have stood next to each other and looked in a mirror before they went out together in a red dress (Laura) and a red/orange shirt (Chris). What a dreadful clash of color. (I'm just assuming they went out together. If not, they or the Statesman should have chosen a better color- coordinated picture.)
Also, I don't know what kind of designer Chris Cantoya is, but his shirt is very ill-fitting, especially at the bottom. (I'm afraid he's a fashion designer?). Oops!
By Jette Momant
August 2, 2010 6:29 PM | Link to this
I love Chris and Laura!
Chris has the coolies ties and Laura is always stylishly fabulous as well.
They have infectiously warm hearts and have smiles that light up every party the minute they walk in.
I'm always happy when I see one of them at a soiree.
Warmly,
Jette' Momant
By Jon
August 2, 2010 2:26 PM | Link to this
Both of these guys are awesome thanks michael
Jon