Denver Bespoke Interview for Whiteout Fashion Show

With ArtopiaDEN less than a month away, Fashion Denver is doing interviews with all of the designers being featured in the Whiteout Fashion Show! Our first interviewee is AJ Machete, creator of Denver Bespoke and Denver Dressmakers.
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Q:  When did you first know you wanted to be a fashion designer?

A:
Lianna (the co-designer) and I met at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn where she was studying fashion and I was studying sculpture and photography. I was always very interested in style, whether in literature, fine art or clothing, but didn’t get into designing clothing for many years. 
In 2008, Lianna and I were talking about moving out of NYC but there weren’t a lot of fashion jobs in the middle part of the country, and not
many jobs that would be the equivalent of her job as a knitwear designer for Liz Claiborne. So I started designing clothing and sewing and was essentially able to hire her away from her job (although at much lower pay!) and we were able to move to Denver and keep doing creative work.

Q: Where do you draw inspiration from?

A: We start from the perspective that bespoke and couture clothing is
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Soul Sista Shelley launches her first book!

SHELLEY HUNTER HILLESHEIM’S BOOK LAUNCH
Tuesday 01.26.16
Green Spaces
1368 26th Street
Denver, CO 80205
6:30 – 8:30pm
(7:15pm – Presentation by Shelley)
Free and Open to the public

Shelley & BrandiWhat an honor to have Shelley Hunter Hillesheim, founder of A Nourished Life as a friend of Fashion Denver! Shelley has been our nourishing coach, reminding us that even in the hustle and bustle of entrepreneurship and life, we MUST take care of us! I recently attended Shelley’s Sister Hood Retreat and came back feeling grounded and balanced. The tools that she provided have brought me into the new year feeling even more inspired as I take on the practice of self-care.

It is with very happy smiles that we celebrate the launch of her first book “Self-Care 101, A Guide To Nourish And Flourish Team YOU” here at Fashion Denver’s headquarters at Green Spaces!

Shelley BookJoin us to celebrate the launch of the new book, Self-Care 101: A Guide to Nourish and Flourish Team YOU, by author, speaker and self-care coach SHELLEY HUNTER HILLESHEIM! 

RSVP HERE

Book signing  –  pictures  –  music  –  connections  –  celebration
Light appetizers w/beer, wine and a signature cocktail (The Remedy) will be provided.… Read more!

Artopia 2016 Kickoff Party Recap

Fashion Denver is thrilled to be a promotional partner with Artopia’s Whiteout fashion show! Fashion Denver founder Brandi Shigley will be the emcee of the night’s event as we see 9 Colorado designers on the runway with their interpretation of the Art of Fashion.

Artopia is Westword’s annual event that highlights local art, culture, and fashion, all happening in one spot at City Hall located at 11th and Broadway on Saturday, February 20th.

Last Wednesday, the Fashion Denver team  escaped the hustle/bustle middle of the week madness for the Artopia kickoff party at Ophelia’s!

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This sneak peak of what to expect at Artopia gave us a taste of the designers being featured in the White Out Fashion Show. Each designer came to the stage with just 1 outfit on their model, just enough to tempt our tastebuds in fashion. We’ll be counting down the days until we see their full collection for this show!

Featured designers include:

AnnaFesta
D’Lola Couture
Denver Bespoke
Elyse Rainbolt
Equillibrium
Gino Velardi
Leon Designs
Yocisco.

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For more pictures from the kickoff party, check out our Facebook page here!

For tickets click here and use promo code fashiondenver for a discount!

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Fashion Denver’s market ReUP

Our most recent fashion market ReUP at Green Spaces!

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A big thank you to Robins Photographer for capturing our day! The fashion markets are created to give local designers a platform to share, sell, and connect with fashion lovers and industry leaders. We hold these markets 3-4 times a year with the next one coming up in April. Stay tuned for details!

 … Read more!

Young fashionistas visit the FDHQ

What a fun morning! Today I had 3 girls between the ages of 6-10 over to our headquarters. These girls go to a school called the Logan School and they get to chose a subject that they are passionate about and explore hands on. These 3 young fashionistas all want to be fashion designers and are well on their way. Even the 6-year old is already sewing!

They asked me wonderful questions…
What does beauty mean to me?
What inspires me style?
How do I produce a fashion show?
What are some things that go wrong when a fashion show happens?
What is my favorite color?

So inquisitive, creative and fun!

Fashion Denver

I shared with them the history of Fashion Denver and how I got my start in the fashion world as a handbag designer at the age of 9. I showed them my paper purse drivers license that later led me to have my own handbag business b.shigley designs that ended up going international within the first year! Wow.. it’s hard to believe that was 17 years ago!

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I think it’s so important to share our journey and inspire others. I wish that I would have had somebody to show … Read more!

Supporting Colorado designers since 2004 through production of fashion markets, fashion shows, and business development