Denver Fashion Week’s Emerging Designer Challenge is back for another season that will showcase the talents of some of the best up and coming designers.
On February 3, at The Arch, five designers will go head to head in a competition where the audience and a panel of judges will each select a winner to make their DFW debut this upcoming Spring season.
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This season’s competitors are Forever Chained, Yulia Fashion House, Valerian Projects, Tinsel Dreams and MOSS D. In anticipation of the showdown, we sat down with each designer to give you an insight into their brand and what to expect at the upcoming challenge.
Forever Chained
Described by designer Nina Schwartz as, “modernized chain nail clothing,” Forever Chained is a brand created to make those feel empowered — like they’re wearing armor.
“I was in abusive facilities as a kid for five years where I was in physical restraints a lot,” Schwartz said. “Turning that into my chains by my own choice is something beautiful and empowering — that’s super important to me.”
Growing up in the Punk, Gothic scene, Schwartz said she was always surrounded by chains. It’s because of this she decided to channel that into her brand.
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“I came from the punk and Goth scene and my dad was in the first punk band in Colorado in the 80s, my mom was in the Goth scene in the 80s in LA so chains were always my wheelhouse,” Schwartz said.
Though for the past five years, Schwartz has been a vendor at numerous events and even showcased her work at a few fashion shows, she’s looking forward to making her debut on the DFW Emerging Designer Challenge runway.
Expect models to be adorned in chains head to toe.
Yulia Fashion House
Inspired by her hometown Ukraine, designer Yulia Boozer takes different pieces of her culture and intertwines them into each garment. From flowers to colors, Boozer wanted to bring awareness while also still empowering women.
“I started this when the war in Ukraine started so about a couple of years ago,” Boozer said. “I started it as a fundraiser for Ukraine and I wanted to let people know about our culture.”
Her foundation, Nova Spark Foundation works with Ukrainian orphans to help them throughout the war and humanitarian aid. With help from her mother, she knew she wanted to create a brand that encompassed everything Ukrainian is — bold and beautiful — while still meeting her humanitarian mission.
“Our motto is Fashion for a Cause,” Boozer said. “Everything that we sell, all of the profits go to my foundation.”
For her DFW debut, Boozer plans to represent Ukraine through flowers and the colors red and black — lively feminine outfits.
Valerian Projects
Labeled as “Whoure Couture,” by designer Rachel Hough, Valerian Projects was inspired by the Game of Thrones, World of WarCraft, 1800s cosplay and Grandma’s couch. What started during the pandemic has turned into a brand that is sexy, alluring and truly one of a kind.
“I started by creating logo patches like question marks from felt from Hobby Lobby,” Hough said. “Then I started branching into skirts, things I wear at concerts and it kind of snowballed into Valerian Projects.”
During a festival, Hough had a lot of people ask her about her outfit which then led to her friends encouraging her to start her brand. After debating for two years, Hough decided to give designing a go. Since then, she has been in three fashion shows and even was a vendor at Denver Fashion Week. It’s at the Emerging Designer Challenge where she will be debuting her menswear line.
“I’ve never had menswear before so this will be my first time debuting that,” Hough said. “It’ll be pants, vests, nicknacks, Paracels just fun out there kind of burlesquey sexy vibes.”
Tinsel Dreams
Designer Amanda Pfeiffer spent a lot of time scrolling on Pinterest during the early pandemic. It was then she was inspired by the pictures of tinsel, sequences and fringe — something she’s always been fond of. She then decided to teach herself how to sew and began creating fringe jackets for herself and then for her loved ones. From then on, Tinsel Dreams was born.
“I’m really excited to showcase not just the jackets I make but cool pieces that I’ve never thought of making before,” Pfeiffer said.
By the time the Emerging Challenge is here, Pfeiffer will have used close to 200 tinsel curtains to create her pieces. Though creating jackets hours of hard work and labor, each piece is crafted with the joy of others in mind.
“[The collection will be] some really fun pieces that are just so whimsical that bring so much joy to people that wear them — some really fun tinsel glitter pieces,” She said.
MOSS D
Designer Marci Davis used to work at a disability center when one of her favorite clients couldn’t pronounce her name. He called her Moss and ever since then the nickname has stuck and inspired her brand name, Moss D (Davis).
“MOSS D is seriously just a lot of fun, love and beauty,” Davis said. “ I love to upcycle and I love to print my fabrics and then see how they speak to me.”
Davis describes her clothes as, “largely funky expression of streetwear, a lot of oversized, joyful textiles having a party.” Her desire to start a brand started two years ago when she taught herself how to sew and started selling her garments this year when a posh mercantile Boulder brand called The Found Collective and The New Local inquired about selling her clothes.
The Emerging Designer Challenge is the first time Davis will be making her introduction to the Denver fashion scene.
“At the challenge, I hope the audience can get an overall feel of MOSS D,” Davis said. “From streetwear to a formal event, we can always feel seen, expressed and awake. It’s like the first hello, I’m excited to be invited to the challenge.”
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