After Rachel Marie Hurst showed her collection at Denver Fashion Week, she dove deeper into what the collection meant and the meaning behind fashion for her.
READ: Denver Fashion Week Night One
A lot of designers work with different inspirations, which is why fashion can be so special. It is unique for every single person. Hurst explains what her collection meant to her.
“This collection represented a “mask”, one that is what most women put on every single day of their lives. Something pretty, happy, approachable and pure—even though most of us aren’t this, myself included,” said Hurst.
Hurst has been using her designs to inspire women, be inclusive and overall spread women’s empowerment. This collection was another ‘phase’ in her powerful creations. Hurst has gone through “a ‘Birth’, a ‘Revolution’, and an ‘Awakening’— now it is time to show’Confidence’,” said Hurst
During the confidence phase of Hurst’s collection, she pushes the idea of women having to constantly “wear a mask” and pretend to be the perfect version of themselves. “This collection showcased the turmoil of constantly wearing a mask that is forced upon us as women. I wanted to create a collection that felt light and happy and colorful, much like the mask some of us wear to conceal the turmoil underneath…” said Hurst.
Hurst explains how she spends hundreds of hours diving into inspirational ideas while looking for fabrics and textiles. Hurst stuck to her gut and continued to create a collection to show her passion for women’s empowerment.
“I create fashion that empowers women to live their best life and pursue their dreams. If you feel confident in what you wear, it spills over into your life. I feel that when you learn to dress for yourself, you will reach true success and freedom,” said Hurst
Though Hurst has the main idea of what her designs mean there is still a lot of time that goes into creating a new collection.
Hurst digs into just how much effort and time goes into each piece. “I closely examined the flower as a motif and applied it topically to the garments by hand. I found a beautiful embroidered fabric to dissect and created my own textile on the garments by hand. Additionally, I looked to Floriography as a guide for coloration. Floriography, which is the language of flowers, holds that all flowers hold different meanings, often based on the type of flower, the color of the flower, or both. For example, a red rose can equal love or a yellow rose can equal friendship,” said Hurst
Hurst was extremely intricate in every part of her collection, even down to choosing colors with a powerful meaning. “I chose colors that had purposeful meanings to women and this collection: pink equals femininity and nostalgic, lilac equals innocence, purple equals luxury and. gold equals triumph and success,” said Hurst.
Hurst talks about how even though the fashion world is so glamorized, there are still a lot of struggles. “There have been a lot of suicides in the fashion world and mostly from people that we didn’t expect it from. So many people have struggled with mental health, but it is even more suffocating in an industry that can be superficial,” said Hurst
It is safe to say that nothing comes easy in the fashion world. These designers are working very hard to create new pieces. They truly put their heart and soul into their creations.
Though in the fashion industry there may be points that affect your mental health, there are still a lot of benefits to working in the fashion world. “You get to be fantastical and create things that are exciting, try new things and be a part of a community. When we do a show, everyone’s work comes together for a performance. This includes models, hair & makeup teams, production, photographers, videographers, stylist, etc. It’s like a theater performance,” said Hurst
Overall, Hurst had another successful night during Denver Fashion Week. She continues to create inspirational pieces and loves to see the support.
When talking about the collection hitting the runway during Denver Fashion week, Hurst explained just how special that night was for her. “What was great about our night was that there were so many veterans and new faces that are part of the Denver local fashion scene that had put in lots of work behind the scenes to see the production come together,” Hurst said.
Photography by Roxanna Carrasco.