In the era of mass production and endless short-lived trends, “unique” is a quality that’s hard to come by. The creators of Geo In Style, however, have looked past American standards and brought their native country’s fashion to the States.
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Creators Nino Walton and Nia Neilson are from the European country Georgia, where revolutionary fashion designs fill the streets. The country was arguably put on the fashion map by the creative director of Balenciaga and co-founder of Vetements, Demna Gvasalia.
This industry name, however, is not the last from Georgia to advance fashion — Georgian designers remain threading the needle to craft garments that push the limits.
In the United States, authentic and handmade Georgian clothing can’t be found. With this in mind, Walton and Neilson created Geo In Style, an online boutique that sells the products of selected Georgian designers.
Amid COVID-19 in 2020, the intrapreneurship was born when they collaborated with designer Megi Gabunia and her brand, M.G. Megi Gabunia.
“It was strictly supposed to be like any other retail website, but the local fashion show offered for us to bring our designers to their shows,” said Neilson.
Geo In Style has participated in fashion shows in Charlotte and Spartanburg, North Carolina, as well as Colorado Springs and Denver, where the Georgian designers have showcased previous collections during Denver Fashion Week.
The Georgian designers and their unique collections will appear on day five of Spring 24’ Denver Fashion Week: The Black Sea. Flying from Georgia, these designers are up to showcase a night full of authentic European designs.
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Neilson and Walton travel to Europe themselves to select the designers for Geo In Style, and when it comes to brand curation, the two founders see eye-to-eye.
“Our model of fashion is that everything must be handmade, not too colorful, but still very unique,” said Walton.
Lots of Georgian designers use and incorporate leather into their designs, even if it’s couture, and the founders love it. In DFW’s Fall 22’ season, M.G. Megi Gabunia showed a collection of dark garments with black leather being one of the main fabrics.
“Our main color is black so that also is part of why we called the show The Black Sea, besides the fact that we are located right next to the Black Sea,” said Walton.
M.G. Megi Gabunia, Lasha Jokhadze, Salle de Mode, and Savaneli are the returning designers for this season of DFW. Designers Scorpions, Smaki, and Sophié will be making their DFW debut.
Following the show, Geo In Style will allow the audience to purchase garments right off the runway.
“We’ve had people approach us after the show and buy the clothes off of the model,” said Neilson. “So this time, we’re gonna announce it and hopefully people will want to stay behind and speak to the designers personally.”
Following Denver Fashion Week, Geo In Style is taking The Black Sea to New York City on May 23.
Savaneli
Geo In Style designer, Tea Savaneli, knows exactly who she is and what she wants. Her bold, eccentric personality shines through in her designs, where like her, they are one of a kind.
Savaneli does not sketch out her designs. Instead, they live freely in her mind.
Inspiration for designs comes to Savaneli through music. 80s R&B, jazz and soul help to spark innovation and allow her to hear what she sees and how she sees it.
When creativity strikes, Savaneli jumps out of bed and begins piecing fabric together, following the vision in her head.
“I don’t just design, I construct,” Savaneli said.
In DFW’s Fall 23 season, Savaneli showcased a collection of metallic, iridescent garments that left a geode-amethyst impression.
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This season, the audience can expect a slight shift in vibes with a black, gold and silver color palette. Each piece is exclusive and handmade, ranging from short and sexy to long and profound.
“This year’s collection is mostly going to be made of a mesh, see through stretchy fabric, and I’m incorporating leather all over,” Savaneli said.
Savaneli’s designs consist of high quality fabrics, where all the soft leather comes from Italy.
Savaneli met the creators of Geo In Style, Nino Walton and Nia Neilson, at Denver Fashion Week. While speaking with a friend about her design and where she was from, she heard a woman yell at her in the Georgian language.
“When I turned around, it was Nino and like six girls from Georgia,” Savaneli said. “We then clicked and became super good friends.”
Georgian natives found each other in the midst of Denver and now work together to spread their country’s talent. It’s because of that, one thing is for certain — DFW’s The Black Sea show will be one to remember.