Each season, the Denver Fashion Week team invites up-and-coming designers to compete for a . Named by Forbes as a “a trusted alternative to New York for emerging talent,” Denver Fashion Week introduced their Emerging Designer Challenge to give growing artists an entry point into the industry.
This Saturday March 22, The Emerging Designer Challenge returns to the Jacquard Hotel for another thrilling competition. Each designer brings a unique collection to the challenge, where they are judged by a panel of judges on concept and construction, among other qualities. This year, the judges panel includes Denver Fashion Week Runway Producer Nikki Strickler, Creative Director David Rossa, last seasons’s winner Mitchelle Santana and model expert Katie Andelman.
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At the end of the fashion show, two designers are selected to show their unique collections during the upcoming Spring 2025 season, chosen by both the judges and an audience vote.
This season’s challenge will feature collections for Timeless Trend by Ameliah Tene, Make You Sparkle, CAKEBRAIN, Growing Through It, Medicine Mender, and Nohealani. Learn more about each designer below.
Timeless Trend By Ameliah Tene
Katherine Peko-Mavaega is the designer behind Timeless Trend by Ameliah Tene. She started this brand with her mother while stationed in Seattle during COVID. What began as a way to help their community quickly took off, with her mother as the seamstress and Peko-Mavaega as the visionary behind the designs.
As a Pacific Islander designer and active-duty Army service member, Peko-Mavaega looks up to Project Runway designer Afa Ah Loo, calling his collection a “a love letter to my Pacific Islander roots.” For her Emerging Designer Challenge collection, Peko-Mavaega is continuing this love letter, hoping to leave the audience with a lasting impression of island sophistication while blending past, present and identity.
“I’m a Pacific Islander designer, and opportunities like this are rare for me. I’m not just representing myself, but my community, culture and heritage,” Peko-Mavaega noted. “Your votes will amplify Pacific Islander representation in fashion, support emerging talent from underrepresented communities and celebrate the unique beauty and richness of Pacific Islander culture.”
As such, her collection will honor her culture through both respectfully celebrating Pacific Islander heritage and traditions while also reinterpreting them for the modern world, with plans to infuse traditional drumming and chanting with contemporary elements.
Make You Sparkle
Kay Trejo’s Make You Sparkle features handmade crochet pieces custom made to the wearer’s desires. Much like her brand name touts, Trejo’s designs are intentionally created to help the wearer feel like their best selves.
“I create pieces to make sure everyone can wear something they love and feel confident in,” said Trejo.
For her upcoming collection, Trejo envisions embracing beach waves and natural curls, sparkly makeup with spring colors and music with a high vibration. Beyond this Saturday’s show, the opportunity to present a collection at DFW Spring 2025 represents the opportunity for Trejo to bring this pure-hearted mission to a larger stage, helping more people feel comfortable in their skin — and inspire other emerging designers to believe in themselves and follow their dreams.
“My works shows how much I love what I do,” Trejo shared. “Showing at DFW means so much to me. I just started selling and putting my clothes out there – so it’s so special to me to be seen making my dream come alive. Mainly, I’m showing myself that I can do what I believe I can do!”
CAKEBRAIN
Ethan Hernandez created CAKEBRAIN motivated by a passion for creativity, social responsibility and making a tangible impact on the world.
“Drawing upon my diverse experiences and expertise, I saw a way to combat the societal challenges and injustices prevalent in our communities, and it motivated me to establish a brand that would serve as a catalyst for positive transformation by leveraging creativity, empathy and a commitment to social responsibility,” said Hernandez. “I embarked on this journey with the goal of making a tangible difference and inspiring others to join in a pursuit of a better future.”
Get Your Emerging Designer Challenge Tickets Here
As such, his collection for the challenge blends beauty and chaos. Designed to provoke thought and inspire change, the audience can expect CAKEBRAIN’s collection to include structured, military-inspired textures like camouflage, canvas, nylon and metallic hardware, blending themes of war, resilience and defiance of authority with a contemporary streetwear edge.
“Each piece in the collection serves as a powerful statement, challenging the status quo and advocating for a more just and equitable world,” Hernandez shared. “Through a variety of mediums and styles, the collection seeks to engage the audience and spark meaningful conversations around the complexities of social injustice. This collection aims to raise awareness, foster empathy, and ultimately mobilize individuals towards taking action in dismantling unjust systems and building a more inclusive society.
Growing Through It
Evaliza Arredondo is a designer who embraces the duality of struggle and growth. As an experienced model and freelance designer up to this point, Arredondo is now channeling that journey into her collection for the Emerging Designer Challenge.
Growing Through It focuses on the connection between sustainable slow fashion and maximalism, proving that sustainable fashion doesn’t always have to mean a capsule wardrobe and sensible neutrals. Blending bold expression with eco-conscious practices, Arrendondo’s designs are a real-world manifestation of the idea that sustainability and statement-making style can coexist.
While Growing Through It has a quiet online presence, this intrigue may represent an intentionality behind her designs: striking and thoughtful, crafted with care for both the wearer and the planet.
Medicine Mender
Sarah Fitzpatrick’s Medicine Mender is a brand rooted in sustainability, creativity and circular fashion. Through sustainable practices that go beyond simple thrifting to mending and reimagining fabrics’ potential, Medicine Mender champions a mindset of gratitude and mindful consumption over wastefulness.
“Let’s have clothing swaps, let’s repair our wear, let’s upcycle,” said Fitzpatrick. “More gratitude and creativity, less overconsumption. The Earth moves in cycles, so should we.”
Inspired by nature’s cycles, Fitzpatrick’s vision transforms discarded materials into purposeful fashion, proving that what some see as waste can be reimagined into something beautiful. As such, audiences can expect her Emerging Designer Challenge collection to be rooted in earthy and relaxed tones, balanced against colorful and playful pieces that show that fashion shouldn’t just be sustainable — it can be expressive and fun, too.
Nohealani
Jasmine Lee’s Nohealani — meaning “beauty from heaven” — embraces the aloha spirit of love, unity and harmony. Embracing these unifying themes is something Lee infuses into her personal life, as well as her designs.
“I’ve always been spontaneous, sometimes impulsive, but it’s been a trait l’ve learned to keep alive. I think that it’s important for us to explore ourselves and all that we are capable of,” said Lee. “started modeling and really wanted to make an impact in the fashion industry. I feel I’ve been able to make an impression on other models and now I’m ready to take a new angle to make an even bigger difference as a designer.”
Staying true to her Hawaiian heritage, Lee’s collection will feature natural, fresh-faced beauty and music from Hawaiian and Pacific Islander artists. Their debut collection is inspired by Hawaiian mythology, weaving the energy of gods and goddesses into intricate floral designs that symbolize hope, complexity and renewal.
“I have channeled the energy of gods and goddesses into floral pieces as I see flowers symbolic of hope, intricacy, and something new,” said Lee.
Attendees can expect to see Hawaiian fashion in a new light, featuring patterns and details that celebrate the richness of the culture and the beauty of the natural world. Through this collection, Lee not only hopes to highlight the depth of Hawaii’s heritage but also remind the audience that every culture, no matter its size, plays a vital role in the larger tapestry of life.
Denver Fashion Week Spring 2025 will take place May 10-18 at The Brighton. Tickets can be purchased here.