Night two of Denver Fashion Week (DFW) at the Sports Castle, A Non Plus Ultra Venue was filled with fun and playful kids couture combined with intricate and carefully crafted hair looks, making for a perfect fashion show experience.
Buy your Denver Fashion Week tickets here.
The day began with kids’ local couture featuring designers Factory Fashion, Dragonwing Girl, Kim Likes Clothes and a dance performance by Cherry Creek Dance Performing Company.
The night then shifted into a hair show extravaganza featuring hair artists Birch Salon, Elijah Bleu for Matthew Morris Salon and Skincare, Nyla Nasser, Ashley Smith, Beauty Vision 303, Luis Gonzales with Vida Salon, Jill Lietz and Lisa Vann, Salon Utopia and James Mucker, Floyd’s Barbour Shop and celebrity hairstylist Peter Gray.
In collaboration with the Southwest Hairstyling Awards, the night truly was a celebration of the world’s best hair creatives.
Cherry Creek Dance Performing Company
DFW opened with a Nutcracker performance from the Cherry Creek Dance Performing Company. Dancers were dressed in pastel-colored tutus and tight buns making for a perfect introductory fashion show performance. Their next dance number included a slow contemporary piece where dancers changed into sparkly black dresses.
Factory Fashion
Through each collection, Factory Fashion brought elegance and classiness to the runway. Each piece was carefully crafted by kids ages 8-17 through a course taught by local designers. From sparkly tiaras to giant pastel ball gowns, Factory Fashion students truly brought the “wow” factor to the runway. Students were also in charge of dressing up their models with their own accessories.
During the final walk, the mini designers took the runway with their models showing that age doesn’t matter when designing in the fashion industry.
Dragonwing Girl
Filled with bright tie-dye athletic wear, Dragonwing Girl showed that comfort and fashion can in fact go hand in hand. Through each piece, models wore matching neon sets and tie-dye leggings with a bright spandex top, fitting the high, upbeat music perfectly. Decorated in sparkles, models walked the runway with smiles on their faces and a skip in their step — fitting for the collection.
Kim Likes Clothes
Concluding the show, Kim Likes Clothes showed that no matter your age you can still be fashionable. Fit for any occasion, models wore chic pleated skirts, khaki pants, blazers and heart-shaped sunglasses. The collection combined a sophisticated adult-like look with the playfulness of a kid.
The final walk included stylist Kim Rayfield and her two kids— Penelope and Moses— walking hand in hand.
Following the kid’s show later in the evening was the Hair Show representing the best of the best of Denver stylists.
Birch Salon
Birch Salon kicked off the show with an earthy, medusa-style updo—with bright green leaves reaching out in all directions. As she turned, the audience saw the back of the head decorated with baby’s-breath and a hint of blonde hair underneath. The following looks ranged from voluminous hair with hints of floral accents, to styles with flowers as the main element. The show closed with a large afro of baby’s-breath.
Elijah Bleu for Matthew Morris Salon & Skincare
Elijah Blue’s models took to the stage with neutral-colored outfits and shimmering makeup to accompany their textured hairstyles. The looks circled around curly hair looks—teased short styles with a hint of color to wavy shoulder-length, to braids embellished with beads and feathers. The collection, with its emphasis on creams, tans and browns delivered a very desert-inspired cohesive look.
Nyla Nasser
Nyla’s looks brought a nostalgic feeling of spring with her playful designs using butterflies as the catalyst. The first model took to the runway with a style resembling catching butterflies in a net, and the model to follow displayed a train of basket-like, woven textiles. As models continued to walk the runway in their checkered, picnic-worthy dresses, the looks became more complex in their headdresses and details. The show closed out with another woven train, but with blooming flowers to draw the eye.
Ashley Smith Beauty
Ashley Smith took every opportunity to own the stage with flower displays at each end of the runway. As her models took off in light pastel outfits, their hair was nothing short of subtle with voluminous tresses and towering headdresses. Models floated down the runway and created a cottage-core fantasy using all different hair types.
Beauty Vision 303
Standing out from the rest of the collections so far was Beauty Vision’s ability to create structurally geometric looks, such as perfect circles and spheres with hair. Braids with hair charms, tinsel and chains were an integral part of these models achieving their edgy and unique looks.
Floyd’s 99 Barbershop
Floyd’s 99 Barbershop took to the stage with the first male-dominated lineup. The models looked incredibly sleek in their dark jeans, suit jackets, scarves and sweaters. The hairstyles ranged from flowing shoulder-length looks to short brush-ups.
Lisa Vann & Jill Lietz
This duo created a work of art along the runway with their earth-inspired outfits and hairstyles. With mostly pink tones and structural height, the hair accompanied the textured outfits beautifully to create cohesive and balanced looks. The models looked as though they were fairies with their yellow, purple and pink hair and makeup against the green tones of the clothing and background. After each model walked, they met at the center of the runway to form a human tree.
Luis Gonzalez x Vida Salon
Despite their flowery dresses, models for Luis Gonzalez looked fierce as they strutted the runway with leather boots, sharp cat eyes and slicked-back gray ponytails. The emphasis in these hairstyles was highlights of blonde and gray, showing off Gonzalez’s skill with color that led him to win 2021 Hair Colorist of the Year.
James Mucker x Salon Utopia
2021 Hairstylist of the Year award winner— James Mucker —came to defend his title with his colorful and intricate ways of styling curly hair. Tackling all levels of curls, Mucker proved there is no hair type he cannot conquer. Models with all-black outfits were starkly juxtaposed with vibrant colored locks. Those with more muted tones in their hair sported eccentric, sparkly blazers down the runway.
Peter Gray x Jade Sanghee
The audience’s eyes were glued to the stage in awe as they wondered who the last to take the stage would be. Arguably the most creative and daring hair looks of the night came from Jade Sanghee— working alongside her mentor, stylist Peter Gray. Using netting as the base for each model’s headdress, the duo weaved hair through the shapes to create bold looks with height, volume and flow. Their vibrant color use in the hair also helped it stand out against the model’s all-black outfits and black makeup designs. The praiseworthy collection they executed together was the perfect way to end the runway.
Throughout the show, awards were handed out by Southwest Hairstyling Awards by emcees Lynda Baker and Hailey Hodapp. Winners of the awards were Teresa Romero, Master Hairstylist of the Year; Michael Cardenas, Barber Stylist of the Year; Chrystofer Benson Collective, Artistic Team of the Year; Dallan Flint, Avante Garde Stylist of the Year; Greta Coston, Hair Colorist of the Year; and Anthony Edge, Hairstylist of the Year.
While the outfits were showstopping on their own, they were no match for the immense creativity brought in the hairstyles by all participants. DFW’s Hair and Kids show brought to light the vast amount of talent Colorado has to offer in the hair and fashion industry.
Buy your Denver Fashion Week tickets here.
All photos by Roxanna Carrasco.
Gallery photos by Anthony Maes.
Click here for full photo galleries including step and repeat.
