#Designbox downtown raleigh free

It all began at Designbox, the Khalifas’ creative incubator that, until this year, was located in the Warehouse District. This year, as the 11th annual festival gears up for its run from September 15 through 18, Lyf is poised for larger-scale production. Alumni include Raleigh Denim Workshop, Holly Aiken, and Lumina Clothing, putting Lyf in good company.įinding himself on the other side of the planning equation for the first time, Khalifa had to ask himself new quesions: What would Lyf’s models look like? How should they represent themselves as a company? “It was the first time we got to present the real package,” he says, “and it was great for us.

Lyf was selected to become the first footwear company to debut in the Triangle’s largest annual fashion exhibition, which has emerged as a showcase for the area’s best up-and-coming jewelry, clothing, and accessories.

#Designbox downtown raleigh free

Their status as festival founders gave them no free ride into the event’s Wear What You Are fashion show. Meanwhile, the Khalifas are fully focused on launching Lyf, their own 3-D printed, custom-made, eco-shoe company in the heart of downtown Raleigh. These days, the once-modest event transforms downtown Raleigh into a weekend-long hive of creative expression, with a pop-up bazaar, runway show with a sprawling City Plaza catwalk, improv comedians, and chalk art that stretches for as far as the eye can see. After the first five hectic, successful years of running it – inventing and designing all the while – the pair relinquished management to the Visual Art Exchange, but not before expanding SPARKcon far beyond fashion to encompass film and technology, food and music, art and commerce. Which is how the couple designed it in 2006, when they began the festival to celebrate Raleigh’s fashion week. “SPARKcon is all open-source and run by the people who organize it, so I had no say whatsoever.” “We weren’t sure we would get in,” Khalifa says, with a hearty laugh. The couple had that in common with 30 other hopeful applicants, but none of those folks also had “SPARKcon co-founders” on their resumes. Last year at SPARKcon, downtown Raleigh’s annual festival of innovation and creativity, Aly and Beth Khalifa, local designers and entrepreneurs, had to apply to participate. Restaurants: Fiction Kitchen, Moonlight Pizza, Humble Pie, Five Starīreweries: Boylan Bridge Brewpub, Trophy Brewing Co.Aly Khalifa, owner and director of innovation, at Lyf Shoes at Designbox in Raleigh Trailblazing shoe designer A short walk to downtown Raleigh’s Warehouse District brings you to critically acclaimed restaurants, an artisan chocolate shop, the Contemporary Art Museum, and more! Within walking distance: Living in Boylan Heights means that no matter your definition of fun-enjoying the many nearby trails and greenways, catching one of the many exciting acts coming through town, enjoying a night out with friends, or engaging in some much needed retail therapy-you're never far from the action! The neighborhood hosts several events throughout the year, including the ArtWalk, where the work of local artists is displayed and sold on residents’ porches. The houses in Boylan Heights vary in size, with the largest homes located on Boylan Avenue. Most houses are bungalows, but you will find other styles like Queen Anne and Colonial Revival. As one of Raleigh’s first planned suburbs, the neighborhood was developed in 1907 and was designated as a historic district in 1984. Boylan Heights is located on the southwest edge of downtown Raleigh.