On May 9, five designers brought their Ready To Wear designs front and center to the Denver Fashion Week runway. Ready-To-Wear garments are made in standardized sizing and generally created to be bought right off the runway. However, this doesn’t mean these clothing items are not just as unique and pioneering to the fashion realm.
Brands B Fresh Gear, Saint Destiny, Manic Studios, Azuratrella and Untamed Vanity displayed a variety of ready-made pieces to fit anyone’s aesthetic, whether it be alternative or 80s’ cabana chic.
Reserve your runway seats HERE.
B Fresh Gear
Created by Brian McBroom, B Fresh Gear sends viewers back through time to the colorful, maximalist 1980s with its bold designs. The retro-themed brand brought all-over prints from head to toe, resembling all-too-familiar geometric patterns iconic to the 90s’, as well as duo-toned tiger patterns, flamingoes and even paint-splattered designs. Over the course of their collection, it became clear that the men’s and women’s collections were coordinated together, creating effortless complimentary boat attire for men and women. The Colorado native explained the collection as, “A hybrid of cabana wear and couples matching outfits. Our joke is that you can match your significant other, and when he pisses her off she can go change.”
The pieces included swimsuits, fanny packs, bucket hats, swim trunks, button-ups and even visor sunglasses — all sold during B Fresh Gear’s pop-up shop, fulfilling the brand’s slogan of, “From the boats to the slopes.”
Saint Destiny
Saint Destiny brought a sexy yet whimsical femme fatale collection to the stage. The experimentation and blend of textiles and colors paired with a wet hair look and black eyeliner gave way for the collection to border on the line of innocence and allure. Pastels, white dainty ribbons, and frilly socks juxtaposed the distressed denim and black lace, latex and fur elements. Designer Jennifer Saint-Fort described the collection as being, “based on nostalgia, like with the toys you played with, like Bratz and Barbie, so it’s super fun and dress-uppy.”
As someone who has been designing since she was nine years old and participated in DFW’s Fall 2022 Emerging Designer Challenge, Saint-Fort’s love for fashion certainly shines through her collection.
Manic Studios
Manic Studios kindled a skate and street style not only to their garments but to the entire runway environment. With the lights down, visuals of the brand logo and the Earth spinning built up the tension for a beat drop and the first designs to come out, a gray carpenter pant and jacket set with intricate pocket details and a signature organic shape of fabric on the breast pocket area. Designer Griffin Connolly described his influence of being a skater for ten years, and these practical but individualistic designs can attest to that. One of the most notable looks from the brand was black straight-leg pants customized with purple and white abstract flower silhouettes and a khaki-colored hoodie that said, “I told you I was Manic” in a hand-drawn font.
“This is one of the first collections where I’m getting back to my roots, I feel like,” Connolly said. “I want to see my friends in my stuff so I like to make what I think everyone would like, but at the same time, kind of just dress myself.”
Azuratrella
Designer Azura Trella’s eponymous debut collection was the personification of shoegaze music blended with a dash of straitjacket chic. The moody clothes were embellished with bulky hardware and detachable pockets. Plaids, denim, and mostly black white and gray textiles were what decorated the runway, but one striking look from the collection was a pastel purple, pink and blue maxi skirt and button-up set. The set was adorned with ruffled sleeves, a built-in belt and branding down the center of the skirt with the distressed Azuratrella star-like symbol. Other signature design elements included buckles and attachments across the torso, extra long sleeves and the occasional ribbon for a feminine flair.
“I’ve been joking, kind of saying it’s like psych-ward chic, but it’s a lot of plaids, a lot of hardware, chrome, and the inspiration was really just trying to dig as far deep into my brain as I could with what I could come up with,” Trella said.
Trella is a designer and volunteer staff member at the Denver Design Incubator, where she has the ability to create these one-of-a-kind clothes. She made the runway her own, not only through her clothes but by having models walk simultaneously down the two runways and cross over at the end. Paired with alternative clothing and angelic instrumentals, Azuratrella’s collection had all eyes on her.
Untamed Vanity
After seeing these pieces strut down the runway, the brand name speaks volumes for the collection itself. Untamed Vanity brought a classic yet modern sexiness and confidence to each model. With prime inspiration for Summer 2023 outfits, form-fitted garments were the staple for each of Shelethia Statham’s designs. Flattering cut-outs were a must for dresses both long and short. Ruching, deep necklines and bright patterns of marbling and tie-dye enhanced these simple but timeless silhouettes. Statham created Untamed Vanity in 2016, with the inspiration of wanting to highlight untamedness and boost the confidence of consumers all over the world.
“I recently launched a new resort collection, so you can expect to see a ton of different prints and patterns, bright vibrant colors, florals, swimwear, the list goes on,” Statham said. “I know that people have been traveling a lot more lately and with the warm weather being near, I wanted to create a collection to capture the emotions of being excited to travel and eager to explore.”
Statham’s cheeky collection perfectly envisioned a summer by the pool, with one of the models even using a beach ball as an accessory. Statham previously participated in the Fall 2022 Emerging Designer Challenge and once again brought the heat.
Night Four, located at the Brighton, a Non-Plus Ultra venue, and hosted by Kylie Bearse and Erica Lopez proved to be a major success. What made this show so special was the models and designer’s true individualistic nature. Viewers could truly see the creativity and storytelling behind every collection and even in the way a model interacted with the pieces as they walked down the runway. Ready-To-Wear was a night filled with food, drinks, vendor pop-ups, and fashion made for everyone.
Reserve your runway seats HERE.
Photos by Jas Kitterman.
Hair & Makeup: Cynthia Nasta, Tanilla Patterson, Janet Perrault, Maisha Feagin, Shay Chapman
Models: Tyshawn Nicholas, Mikah, Katherine, Gabrian Strenge, Ernest Jevaunte Higgs, Laura Betancourt, Lewis Sanchez, Sydney Summers, Kweku Kente Baffour, Bobbie Lawson, Daniel F. Williams, Joseph Simon, Bridget McGlocklin, Mimi Haile, Lily Thomas, Moses Kisale, Daniel Ramirez Dj Donp, Blanka Maria Sniezyk, Brennen Collette, Cheron, Katherine Jenkins, Daejnaye Irene Jenkins, Velvet Brandy LeMae, Mark Zhuravlev, Asa Kee, Mark Bonner, Priscilla Plazas, Emiko Freeman, Alexis Allor, Ian Graves, Jovan Myrieckes, Simon Paul Augustyn, Maia Gonzalez, Chris Schmoldt, Emma Freeman, Ethan Yamaguchi, John Green, Kyndall Bradshaw, Sidnee Beauf, Menelik Marutle, Victoria Kirschnick, Rachel Trizna, Ava Caruso, Shayna Marie Hickox, Noella Wong, Kelly Larson, Dihanna Williams, Serena Torrez, An Dao, Ping Li, Gardenia Ramirez, Alexis Miller, Allison Maciag, Lilly Foster, Sydnie McClain, Victoria Shareif-Taylor, Lynea Donald, Srivalli Guha, Sheroya Sewell