Each Denver Fashion Week (DFW) season, Streetwear & Sneakers is one of the most highly anticipated nights. With that being said, the show has big shoes to fill – no pun intended.
Get your Denver Fashion Week Streetwear & Sneakers tickets here
However, with collections from Sliv Life, Stoked LA, Guiney Design Custom Sneakers, My Generation, Infatue, NTGTLY, D0gha1r, GÖRE, Douleur and Emerging Designer Challenge winner, MOSS D — this night is unlikely to disappoint.
On May 14 at the Brighton, the Streetwear & Sneakers show will bring together some of the city’s most forward-thinking designers, who are redefining fashion trends and making their mark on the cultural scene.
Sliv Life
Sliv Life is a vibrant and distinctive brand renowned for its custom jeans, striking pops of color, distressed layering, and innovative designs. Founded by Cameron Connolly, Sliv Life embodies a positive outlook on life, aiming to inspire and motivate others to seize each day with enthusiasm and dedication. Connolly’s creative process is deeply personal — he channels his emotions into crafting unique pieces that resonate with his audience.
This spring will mark Sliv Life’s fourth DFW collection. In the weeks leading up to the Streetwear Spring ‘24 show, Connolly is preparing like he’s never prepared before.
READ: Local Streetwear Brand Reminds Us to “Sliv Life” to The Fullest
“I’ve given myself more time than ever to prepare mentally and physically,” Connolly said. “I started visualizing and mentally preparing my set before casting, I rested at the beginning of the year to save my creativity and energy. For me, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Nevertheless a DFW veteran, Connolly is bullish on making the spring show his most memorable collection yet.
“This is my fourth year in a row with DFW and I’m so grateful for them and all they do,” Connolly shared. “I’m taking all my previous knowledge and failures and bringing my best collection and presentation ever.
Guiney Design Custom Sneakers
John Guiney has been making small run custom clothing and shoes for 20 years.
He started Guiney Design Custom Sneakers as a way to turn his visions into one-of-a-kind wearable art. From custom clothing to unique shoe designs, each piece is crafted with meticulous attention to detail — turning long-loved classics like Converse and Jordans into eye-catching conversation pieces.
All in all, Guiney’s brand – and his Spring ‘24 collection – is a representation that off-the-rack isn’t the end.
Rather, it’s the beginning of standing out from the crowd and the journey of turning manufactured duplicates into individualized manifestations of personal style.
Stoked LA
Stoked LA wowed the audience at DFW’s Fall Streetwear show with a vivid collection that champions comfort and style. Founded by Leah Sullivan, the brand’s Spring ‘24 collection is still expected to emphasize bold colors and have a variety of feminine elements such as Tulle and other unconventional loungewear materials.
However, for her second Denver Fashion Week collection Sullivan strives to challenge herself.
“There will of course be similarities to the first DFW collection but I continue to challenge myself with more unique ways of styling hoodies and sweatpants,” shared Sullivan. “The clothing pieces themselves will take inspiration from my original preppy style of lightning bolts, stars, etc. but in a more mature and elevated way.”
Stoked LA will also release her first kid’s line this season debuting at the kids show. For her two collections, Sullivan will show almost 50 looks this spring.
Get your Kids & Teens DFW tickets here
NTGLTY
NTGLTY is a brand that transcends mere clothing — it’s a movement with a powerful mission. As founder Ronnie Crutcher describes it, “It’s a movement that leverages the power of fashion to spark crucial conversations about our justice system.”
Through his designs, Crutcher uses his pieces as a platform to highlight systemic flaws and corruption within American culture and law. To spark positive change, NTGLTY creates pieces that combine classic streetwear elements with thought-provoking graphics and silhouettes.
By bringing these pieces to the DFW runway, Crutcher hopes to drive important and constructive conversations to a bigger audience.
“To me, the brand signifies innocence. Wrongfully convicted, I endured the agony of a crime I never committed. To reclaim my sense of self, I birthed a brand, inspiring my existence with meaning,” Crutcher shared.
Crutcher took his time while incarcerated and turned it into a brand that is more than just clothing.
“Years of incarceration halted my life, leaving me with nothing but fleeting moments. Emerging into a halfway house, I toiled in menial jobs, yearning for the day parole would grant me my freedom to pursue life as I once knew,” he said. “Yet, three consecutive years saw my pleas for parole rebuffed, for I staunchly maintain my innocence. They demanded accountability, but I refuse to accept guilt for a crime I didn’t commit. Lost and adrift, I sought solace in distractions until I could reclaim my former life. It was then that I forged a purpose — a brand, NTGLTY.”
INFATUÉ
Samantha Aragon, widely known as Lil Fresh Sam, epitomizes the values of self-assurance and perseverance. Since 2012, her fashion label INFATUÉ has been synonymous with celebrating audacity — transforming timeless pieces into wearable masterpieces through imaginative use of paint, gems, and faux fur.
This venture has earned accolades from renowned figures like Method Man and Iggy Azealia as well as gained recognition from esteemed brands such as Under Armour and Skullcandy.
With a global presence, INFATUÉ’s impact spans red carpets, fashion magazines, and celebrity appearances, reflecting its versatility and appeal. Each garment is meticulously crafted to exude the uniqueness and confidence of its clientele, empowering individuals as they strive for excellence in their pursuits.
With a history of setting trends with sophisticated prints and innovative designs, INFATUÉ’s highly-anticipated DFW Spring collection will undoubtedly bring the brand’s one-of-a-kind spark to the runway.
Douleur
Though Douleur technically means “pain,” in French, designer Jack Weakly’s definition of pain is a little more complex.
The brand’s name comes from the French expression, “L’exquisite Douleur,” or the exquisite pain that comes with being in love with something you know you can’t have.
Weakly plans to channel that into his DFW debut by showcasing the beauty in breaking beyond societal norms through contradictory and gender-blurring silhouettes and designs in a collection titled, “Fear and Trembling.”
This concept should be straightforward for Weakly, who already minds contradiction through the two sides of Douleur: cut-and-sew couture and screen-printed street-style basics. With this in mind, he plans to showcase the balance between these two worlds, drawing attention to the idea that maybe the two aren’t so different.
“The lines are so intentionally blurry these days,” Weakly said. “Even the term streetwear doesn’t mean what it meant a decade ago – streetwear is luxury, streetwear is couture, but couture is also streetwear in some ways. It really just comes down to styling and – what is the message that you’re trying to get across and how can you do that really well?”
GÖRE
Ahead of Denver Fashion Week, GÖRE’s collection is both highly anticipated and mildly mysterious.
With a cryptic social media presence and a wiped clean website, GÖRE’s brand is the kind of unsettling that raises the hair on your arms, hatches butterflies in your stomach, – and refuses to let you look away.
Founder and designer Jalen Shipp’s collection will undoubtedly bring an unexpected and thought-provoking presence to the Spring ‘24 runway.
d0gha1r
D0gha1r, founded by Sam Jacobs in late 2019, embodies a deep appreciation for clothing’s intimate history and personal significance. Stemming from Jacobs’ childhood experiences with hand-me-downs, the brand’s name originated from finding his dog’s hair on his early garments — leading him to reflect on compassion and interconnectedness.
Jacobs infuses d0gha1r with a commitment to community support, organizing charity events, food drives, and clothing drives. Inspired by his struggles to afford high-end brands, Jacobs aims to imbue his pieces with the same allure while making them accessible to all.
Challenging societal norms, Jacobs seeks to break through gender stereotypes in fashion, envisioning unique unisex patterns and styles.
His DFW Spring ‘24 collection is expected to push boundaries all while showcasing Jacobs’ signature head-turning, grungy style on the runway.
MOSS D
MOSS D, founded by Marci Davis in 2022, is a vibrant expression of color and beautiful fabrics, ranging from linens to vintage quilts.
With a unique creative process and a commitment to community, the brand quickly rose from a post-pandemic project to a prominent name in the Denver fashion scene. Davis sees fashion as a form of self-expression and encourages individuals to embrace their identity through clothing.
With 25% of proceeds donated to the Boulder homeless shelter, MOSS D’s upcoming collection for Denver Fashion Week Spring 2024, themed “HUMANITY,” reflects a blend of beauty and depth.
READ: Denver Fashion Week’s MOSS D: A Vibrant Tapestry of Denver Fashion
My Generation
My Generation is a swim and loungewear brand that utilizes custom graphics and a kaleidoscope of colors. Designed by founder Ashleigh Perri, the brand is equal parts sexy and eye-catching, risky and playful.
Before Denver Fashion Week, My Generation was shown in fashion shows across Denver, as well as New York City, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego, Miami, and Austin.
Tickets for Denver Fashion Week’s Streetwear and Sneakers can be purchased here.