Glowin’ & Growin’ Runway Show Promotes Community and Empowers Creatives

Glowin’ & Growin’ returned for its third season with a three-day festival July 18, 20 and 21. The team brought event venue Dry Clean Only to life during a runway showcase featuring six local designers with collections based on a question that served as the theme, “What Do You Want?” 

READ: Glowin’ and Growin’ Nurtures Denver

Electrifying energy filled the room, with audience members dressed to impress. The bright and aesthetic space along with a summer garden-inspired runway design filled with flower bouquets by Kara Kara Blooms set the tone for the underlying notion of community. Glowin’ and Growin’ provided a welcoming space encouraging creatives to come as they are. The night was focused on empowering one another, with an array of sponsors, partners and team members including Transform Gym and Nurture, from different backgrounds coming together to celebrate fashion, art and creativity. 

Local upcycler Hannah Hartman kicked off the show with a collection of painted looks. From painted denim to dresses to corsets, Hartman brought a twist to trendy streetwear fashion fit for any age group and destined to make a girl’s girl look like her absolute best self. “These pieces are pulled out of Hannah’s daydreams,” said emcee Taylor Jade, and her daydreams are just what we needed – a fun take on looking and feeling confident while embracing symbols, color and flair. 

Swimwear brand My Generation returned to the Glowin’ & Growin’ runway for their second year. With printed bikinis and one pieces displaying iconic celebrities like David Bowie, Stevie Nicks and more, designer Ashleigh Perri brought a solution to Denver’s recent heat wave. The collection of wearable swimwear fit for every body type left us feeling refreshed and ready to hit the pool. 

The next segment took a completely different turn with a take on evening wear that brought elegance and angelic dresses, leaving the crowd begging for more. Designer Michelle Delahoussaye creates stunning, sexy gowns with a modern take on dressing up. Using light and movable fabrics, the dresses accentuated the models differently and leaned into their structure and beauty in a tailored way. Each dress was classy and sophisticated yet cohesive as a collection, especially when all of the models graced the runway together. They embodied goddesses, even more so as they walked with bare feet and adorned little to no accessories, allowing the dresses to serve as the focal point and proved to be a summer-focused collection. 

Following a brief intermission, Chromatiicat Handmade also returned to the Glowin’ & Growin’ runway this season. This collection is festival-ready, with accessories and details made for the stylish raver. In Denver, your rave look matters and there must be versatility because of the seasons. Chromatiicat thought of the practicality behind rave wear, along with the look that must stand out and bring out the wearer’s inner style. Bubble braids, textural-heavy accessories and fun colors make these looks meant to be seen and enjoyed, which was clear based on the energy from the crowd. 

The classy women of our dreams hit the runway next with a collection from Rachel Marie Hurst, owner of Denver boutique M.Bolden. With thigh-high boots that were meant to hit the town, the models embodied a working woman with a striking take on business wear that proved women do wear the pants – even in a dress. Accessories, like belts that left every waist snatched, tied the looks together along with shopping bags that displayed each model’s response to the question behind the theme of the night: “what do you want?” 

The finale resulted in the entire audience on their feet, dancing and immersing themselves in the collection. Curated by WCKD COLLECTIVE, wearable and androgynous looks emphasized each unique model and their bodies. The models expressed themselves to the point where the look allowed them to dance and embrace their inner being, which rubbed off on the audience and encouraged celebration and unity. The dance party that followed was the true meaning of a fashion show in Denver, aligning creatives and providing a space for people to not only question what they want, but to actually get it. 

With select proceeds benefiting local nonprofit Lincoln Hills Cares, the show bridged community while showcasing fashion. Lincoln Hills Cares provides access to the outdoors for the kids of Denver’s BIPOC community, who often don’t have resources to explore and enjoy our natural surroundings. Founded in 1925, Lincoln Hills started as a place that was the only vacation resort west of the Mississippi River for the African American community. 

Bringing the energy to the event, emcee Jade acknowledged the dream of this show, originating from Founder Halle Madeleine and Fashion Director Jordan McClendon since the first season of Glowin’ & Growin’. With an impeccable rhythm throughout the night focused on showcasing various types of fashion, the show embraced modernity, realism and inclusivity that left showgoers feeling a part of something more. 

But really, McClendon put it best, reading a poem she wrote before the show: 

What do you want?

It comes in a whisper 

Hummed in a lament

Silence is a hurricane of destruction

You must wade through

Do not fear

To be stuck in the deep end

What do you want?

You continue to ask yourself

As the lightning strikes 

And the waves roll in

You paddle through the storm

Knowing your only choice is 

To sink

Or swim

Dawn approaches

The sky is clear

Your visions are only getting closer now

This is it

Are you all in?

A safe haven

You’re officially at the dock

The big lightbulb moment

Is ready to be unlocked 

You enter a lighthouse

Where you unleash every thought

What do you want?

You ask your fellow travelers

So that they too 

Can make it safe to the dock

All photography by Victoria Glidden.