Frock Out Denver: Independent Designers Challenge
Frock Out Denver was a huge success. Thank you to all who attended or contributed to the event - see you at Frock '08! And the winner is...
Watch the YouTube video of the event!
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Check out the Westword article and photos |
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Thursday, December 6, 8 - 9 p.m., Central Library, Level 1 Schlessman Hall |
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Frock Out Denver is sold out - tickets are no longer available. |
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Twelve of Denver’s most talented designers have been busy for three months creating fashions for this runway show competition – Fresh City Life's first annual fund raising event. |
It was the worsted of times, it was the best dressed of times.
The Denver Public Library has joined forces with two of Denver’s fashion icons, The Fabric Lab and Denver Fabrics, to create Frock Out Denver – a celebration of Denver’s vibrant fashion scene and the talented designers that are turning Denver into an oasis of high style.
On the eve of this year’s party season, you’re invited to Frock Out Denver. Thursday, December 6, twelve designers will have the chance to showcase their finest frocks – and compete for the Grand Prize in this competition and runway show. Our Schlessman Hall will be converted into a Fashion Week runway show for one triumphant, exciting night.
Tran Wills, co-founder and owner of The Fabric Lab, has guided the twelve fashion designers as they have each created five designs to demonstrate their best style innovations. Tran has turned a small business into a hub of the Denver fashion scene. Regularly hosting guerilla, street fashion shows that garner huge audiences, she is at first glance a diminutive cherub who always wears a warm smile. But beneath this charming exterior is a woman of high standards, high style, and opinions galore about fashion Denver-style.
Fresh City Life’s Chris Loffelmacher recently spent a breathless afternoon
trying to keep up with Tran as she managed her ever-growing empire called
The Fabric Lab.
Between consultations with models, wardrobe stylists, planning future shows and her strategies to conquer her corner of Denver, Chris got some answers to pressing design questions:
Chris Loffelmacher: Tran, is Denver a fashion battleground or are we truly an oasis of style?
Tran Wills: Right now, Denver designers and creatives are working hard to turn this city into an oasis; Denver is struggling to find its own style identity – then we can be up there with the big boys of fashion like NY and LA. And when that time comes (laughs) then the real ‘battle’ can begin and we’ll hold our own with New York, Los Angeles, even Paris. But to do that we definitely need community support for our local designers and creatives.
CL: Tell us how The Fabric Lab got started and its future?
TW: Josh, my husband and creative partner, and I started it out of frustration. We were designing clothes ourselves and had no outlet to really sell or build our label in Denver. We were represented in a few boutiques here and there but we never felt satisfied; we were not getting appreciation or support like local talent should. We felt that local designers should be getting the attention rather than the cheap, mass produced clothes (probably made in a sweat shop) hanging right next to our designs. So The Fabric Lab grew organically from eight local designers to sixty. We really didn’t realize, until we started The Fabric Lab, just how many creative people called Denver home.
The Fabric Lab is four years old and growing strong; our hearts will always belong to fashion and design here in Colorado. But with The Fabric Lab doing so well on its own; Josh and I want to keep expanding in different directions. Along with a couple of partners, Josh and I plan to venture into the restaurant scene early next year with our cereal and cupcake bar called The Friend Shoppe. Not your typical café or bar, it combines our love of graphic and fashion design and sweet treats; we will keep bar hours (for those of you who crave a midnight cereal fix) and create a chill place to hangout with friends and family, and watch Old School Saturday morning cartoons anytime of the day or night. Just talking about it makes me so freakin’excited – and hungry for a great bowl of cereal!
CL: And where does your love of fashion come from?
TW: My Mom. She was a seamstress and designer herself and worked for many different clothing companies here in Colorado. My mom made all our clothes growing up as kids. It was very inspiring to be able to pick out your patterns and fabrics and see the finished product handmade by someone!
CL: When you look at ‘kids’ on the street, do you see intimations of future trends? Any guess about what’s on the horizon for fashion locally or nationally?
TW: Fashion comes from the street first, then is interpreted from different points of view by designers. Really good designers are always on the lookout for inspirations, or for that one courageous person walking down the street who will spark a new trend or even an evocation of an earlier style period. In Colorado, local fashion will continue to expand as we become more interested and knowledgeable about our own local style – and that’s when places like New York and LA will start turning to us for their inspiration.
CL: There are a lot of interesting fashion competitions and shows happening in Denver right now. To your eye, what makes Frock Out different from the rest?
TW: Frock Out is going to be very different because it’s going to expose our awesome local fashion design community on a large scale. This event targets a wide demographic, which a lot of fashion events here do not do. This is one of the most rewarding aspects of this design event because fashion should be accessible to everyone, regardless of your status, background, age and how much scratch you have in your pocket. And how much more out-of-the-ordinary can you get than a giant fashion show held in the central atrium of the Denver Public Library? What a scene! I’m hoping this becomes an annual event, which will continue to expose locals to great Colorado fashion and our exceptional local talent. (laughs) I mean really – I think we’ve got more to offer the fashion scene than Crocs! Denver has one of the most vibrant music, art, and fashion scenes in the nation; we just need to open our eyes and take notice and be supportive!
CL: Regional painters in any part of the world often have a ‘look,’ which utilizes local color and style. Do our local designers have any shared assets – color palette, silhouette, etc?
TW: No, I think all our local designers have such different unique styles. There does seem to be a real trend toward passionate and responsible design like recycled and/or fair trade fabrics and using water based inks. This is, of course, becoming more important globally as well – but Colorado is definitely an eco-savvy environment for designers.
CL: Without revealing any spoilers, can you give us a general idea of what kind of designs we can expect from Frock Out Denver? Have you gotten a sneak peak at any of the fashions that will be coming down the runway December 6?
TW: You’ll see a bevy of up-and-coming designers and some veterans who will push their designs skills to the next level. Their designs are just going to blow us away! Definitely a can’t miss fashion event! Other than that, well…you’ll just have to come out and see the spectacle for yourself.
CL: For those of us who need a fashion upgrade, where are the best places in Denver to get a designer fix?
TW: Oh Man! That is super hard question. Well, The Fabric Lab of course! But when I am truly in a wardrobe and stylist dilemma, these are the boutiques I run to: True Love for cute and affordable girly shoes, Buffalo Exchange and Chielle for trendy clothes, Constance Love has the best vintage clothing and jewelry. My husband hearts The 400 for limited run sneaks, Soul Haus, Equilibrium Clothing, Indy Ink, Joy Engine in Boulder, and for designer toys Plastic Chapel (yes, our toys must also be stylish too, of course!) There are many others, but for a start check out these local boutiques!
CL: Thanks for talking with me Tran. I’ll see you at Frock Out – I’ll be wearing the green carnation in my lapel!
TW: I want to see a packed house of shiny, happy people – so everyone come out dressed with your own personal steez (that means style, baby)!
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Updated: January 07, 2008
