Backstage Access: Denver Arts & Venues Community Runway Show

On October 14, 2023, Denver Arts & Venues brought together twelve unique and diverse designers for this year’s runway show to celebrate culture and community.

Hosted at the McNichols Civic Center Building, guests were greeted by a beautiful and bright yarn artwork installation by Andrea Fischer, a local fiber and yarn artist whose installations can be seen around Denver, specifically in Meow Wolf. This year’s show held a market for local Denver jewelry, art, body care, fashion vendors and more as a preview event to the show.

The Lowdown: 

Unlike most runway shows, the Community Runway Show went above and beyond to make sure this was an immersive cultural experience not only for the audience but for the designers and models as well. Prior to the show, all designers entered their initial designs and were hand-selected by a panel of judges. If chosen, these designers won a $500 stipend to use to enhance the looks that will be shown in the Community Runway Show. Get the gist?

Key Rules: 

With twelve chosen designers for this year’s show, each designer was put into a category: “Best Concept,” “The Outfit I Would Most Likely Wear,” “Most Elegant/Best Evening Wear,” and “Most Interesting Use of Unconventional Materials.” During the show, audience members were invited to be active participants and vote for their favorite designer competing in each category. Each of the audience’s favorites will be awarded an additional $1,000. What’s in it for the models you may ask? Oh, ALL models were compensated as well.

Knowing there was some healthy competition in the mix with the added bonus of a cash prize, we at The Curio Cabinet knew we had to make our way backstage and interview the designers.

The talented and multi-hyphenate fashion producer, Shanna Shelby, gave The Curio Cabinet team a quick tour of the runway before we met the designers and pointed out the gorgeous textiles and fabrics from Africa, Guatemala, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey hanging on the walls and the ceilings of the runway room.

After the tour, we made our way backstage to get the inside scoop on what each designer was representing or looking forward to during the show. The energy backstage was calm and functional. Everyone seemed relaxed or happily working away on hair and makeup or finishing last-minute alterations and final touches. Rows of clothing racks and a sea of stunning textures and fabrics kept our heads on a swivel in anticipation of all the looks we were going to see.

While adjusting to the scene, Shelby introduced us first to Lilian Lara of Lilian Lara Studio. As a designer who leans into the dramatic and transforms recycled and discarded materials into beautiful wearable pieces, Lara candidly showed us a few of her star concepts for the night as well as her inspiration and meaning behind each piece.

My brand is outrageous pageantry made out of everyday objects, so a lot of the stuff I make is reused from thrift stores, the bins. The green dress is made out of six different dresses that I had to cannibalize and put together to create the whole outfit,” said Lara.

When asking Lara what she was most looking forward to for the night, she shared, “I think to be transported into this beautiful world of traditional designs and integration of culture and being here together as a community, I think I’ve had the most fun with all the other designers and the show as a whole.”

As we moved from designer to designer, the gratitude and excitement was overwhelming and completely filled the room. The fashion community so desperately needed a show that thrives on community and true camaraderie, and the team at DAV curated that and did it well. Our last conversation with designers and fashion experts Rachel Marie Hurst and Tyne Hall gave us great insight before we got our seats for the show:

I would love for the community to see fashion as an artform. Not as some sort of shallow bit of consumerism to it,” said Hall. “There are real artists in this room who are shaping pieces that should be viewed in that way and not something as disposable through pure consumerism.”

Hurst echoed this sentiment. “I want to see people really step into their own style. I think that if you feel confident and comfortable in developing and loving fashion you aren’t going to see it as disposable,” she added.

People from all walks of life came together for a night that brought fashion and culture to the forefront. The diversity in the crowd brought life to the room, showing us that fashion tells a story for everyone.

The show began with a triumphant performance by SF1, a Grammy Award considered artist and multi-hyphenate musician and producer. As the emcee for the night, SF1 energetically introduced prominent Denver community members as they walked down the runway in traditional embroidered caftans. Each traditional piece spoke to the unique look and story behind each individual. The beautifully made caftans were paired with classic pieces yet still made a statement.

Before the show officially began, dancers waltzed down the runway perfectly choreographed in streetwear – denim and mixed print fits with bejeweled crosses on the side seams designed by Lil Fresh Sam of INFATUÉ™. 

As co-producer of the Community Runway Show, Lil Fresh Sam wants the community to feel “inclusion and diversity. We do a really good job of giving everyone a shot. It doesn’t matter what you look like, how old you are, we really believe in giving chances to people and include them.”

Outfit I Would Most Like To Wear:

Competing in the category “Outfit I would Most Like to Wear” was Azura Trella, Kathleen Designs, Nine Two Two and Santiago Sirawa. Up first on the runway was Azura Trella, showcasing three street to workwear pieces. With a baggy silhouette and asymmetrical details, we couldn’t help but coin this mini collection as “office wear for the cool kid.” Each fit came to life with silver buttons, clasps and buckles over the utilization of cool and muted colors like black, white and gray fabric choices.

Up next, was Kathleen Designs, member of the DINE (Navajo) Nation. Draped in flowy and breathable fabrics, indigenous models proudly came to represent as they walked the runway in traditional inspired designs. Each look featured vibrant colors and appliqué florals and ribbon details. The most beautiful outfit that held together many stories of the indigenous community featured a ribbon skirt symbolizing womanhood and identity alongside traditional prints, tassels and accessories like a matching parasol and bag.

Mirroring patterns of nature and the world unseen was designer three, Nine Two Two. Dressing the everyday Y2K baddie, models rocked face jewelry with chains emerging from their ears to their lips. These trendy fits leaned into muted colors but didn’t dare spare any of the details. A detail we don’t typically see on the runway came to life through a butterfly cutout design on the back of an oversized white button up – to say the least, we were obsessed. The final designer of the category, Santiago Sirawa, vintage designer from Bolivia brought the beauty of feminism and girlhood to life in a mini collection of vintage designs and sleek silhouettes. Sirawa effortlessly captured the sweet and meek essence of the early 1960s with the inclusion of a drop waist silhouette, puff sleeves and all the fun of fit and flare skirts.

Most Elegant/Best Evening Wear:

In the next category, “Most Elegant/Best Evening Wear” designers Lilian Lara Studio, Michelle Delahoussaye, Rachel Marie Hurst and Tyne Hall put their signature and designs to the test. In our opinion, everyone got their flowers that night with their impressive and intricate designs. Paying homage to her Mexican heritage, Lara extravagantly adorned her models in dresses and outrageously decorated flower crowns inspired by Dia De Los Muertos (Day Of The Dead). Traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, Dia De Los Muertos is a day that reunites the living and dead. Families take this time to honor their departed members who have passed through offerings. The details in these themed garments were Lara’s secret weapon. Models beautifully wore La Calavera, otherwise known as sugar skull makeup alongside sequined skeleton rib cages to decorate these traditional dresses further. Lara’s final look included a 40-yard lamé gold coat. Elements of this standout look were inspired by Zapotec women of Villa Hidalgo Yalálag, Oaxaca. This whole ensemble held a beautiful story within each thread. To read more about the inspiration for this design, visit @lilianlarastudio’s Instagram page.

Garments that emulated passion and luxury through bespoke evening dresses gracefully entered the runway next. This mini collection of all black evening gowns brought sexy back.

It’s official, designer Michelle Delahoussaye pretty much invented black tie apparel with her delicate designs and draping. Delahoussaye included all our favorite and trendy elements like cowl necklines, low/open back designs, snatched corset boning, and feather details. 

A mission to help women of all sizes feel confident and beautiful lies in the feminine designs of Rachel Marie Hurst. This mini collection still had all the beautiful elements of her classic designs but had been altered with an edge, in other words, Hurst has entered her “Reputation Era.” As a size-inclusive designer, the looks included in this collection featured three size ranges among the models. Hurst delights in the edgy, flirty and chic appeal of her designs; however, with added exaggerated capes and sleeves brought an element of power to each look.

Fashion is a painting, it’s your emotions. When I’m moody my clothes are really moody. When I’m happy, they’re colorful…it’s a living breathing entity and it feeds your soul,” said Hurst backstage.

These looks had the perfect combination of sexy in the front and a ball gown silhouette in the back. The final designer of the category, Tyne Hall, took her horror-inspired fits to a whole new level with the introduction of new iconic leather tops. These deadly and girly fits combined all the best elements of Hall’s iconic gothic romanticism designs. Hall beautifully paired mesh and tulle skirts with her new molded leather bodices giving off an illusion of a wet sculpted look.

I’m a very quiet person, I’m not very talkative, so fashion is the first point of communication. This is my way of communicating to everyone about myself,” Hall shared earlier. Hall goes on to share “I’m just me now. I think the runway is the truest and most purest version of myself. Totally unabridged this is who Tyne is when she’s on the runway.”

Most Interesting Use of Unconventional Fabrics:

All the imaginative and unconventional pieces were left for the end of the night under the category, “Most Interesting Use of Unconventional Fabrics.” This lineup consisted of Andrea Fischer, La Adorna, Musa Mahoney and Nini Coco. In the year of our lord and savior Barbie, Andrea Fischer brought the fun and flair of Barbie Land to life with her bright colors and integration of multiple textures and patterns in her debut runway appearance. As previously mentioned, Fischer has a knack for creating beautiful designs and installations out of yarn.

 “I felt really inspired to make cool but comfortable everyday wear. I used mostly recycled materials and for the last seven years I’ve been a yarn installation artist. I love art you can touch,” Fischer said earlier backstage. This colorful collection provided sexy design details – aka not your grandma’s knitwear collection. The layering pieces were a phenomenal touch to the sultry cozy attire. A few elements we loved were the lace up side-seam shorts and multi-colored tassel yarn jacket.

Wearable art brand, La Adorna, left us all in awe with the talented incorporation of color and unique materials to create a number of avante-garde looks. Utilizing all recycled materials like vinyl and breathtaking iridescent materials. Each look felt playful with its rose motifs and striking petal skirts. La Adorna transported us all to a futuristic wonderland with these innovative designs.

Musa Mahoney, otherwise known as Trasherella, gave materials that tend to be overlooked a new life. Anything and everything was on the table in this design challenge…including old vape cartridges. Models proudly walked the runway in bold colored designs made out of basket weave fabric and plastic materials. As models reached the end of the runway, they held up their hands covered in red paint, in order to stand in solidarity with the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in North America. Mahoney shared an unforgettable and important message through her designs.

The final designer of the night, Nini Coco, brought the house down with an all drag ensemble and camp designs. As their debut show, these looks proved to be fit for the red carpet, Nini Coco’s final black and silver look proved Beyoncé herself could use some Nini Coco flair on her next tour. The structure of each garment was undeniably perfect. Utilizing the sparkle and shine of sequined fabrics and adorable horns throughout each look made the collection more of an artistic experience that was enjoyed by everyone present.

As the show came to a close, DJ Cavem sent us off with a performance that held an important message about growth. The night followed with an after party announcing all category winners:

• Outfit I Would Most Like To Wear: Santiago Sirawa
• Most Elegant/Best Evening Wear: Lilian Lara Studio
• Most Interesting Use of Unconventional Fabrics: La Adorna
• Best Concept: Andrea Fischer

The team at Denver Arts & Venues curated an incredible show while teaching us all that fashion and culture do go hand in hand and it’s meant to be experienced and celebrated by everyone in all walks of life.

Photography by Roxanna Carrasco