Celebrating the talent and creativity of Milwaukee’s fashion community, the annual Milwaukee Fashion Week runway exhibition took place on Sept. 25 and 26.
Milwaukee Fashion Foundation hosts the two-day event, bringing together a diverse group of designers who put the vibrant fashion scene of Milwaukee center stage.
The first Milwaukee Fashion Week commenced back in 2014. In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic put a pause to the annual tradition. The Milwaukee Fashion Foundation was able to resurrect and reimagine Milwaukee Fashion Week in 2022.
This organization works to strengthen the fashion environment within Milwaukee by providing resources to help local creators grow.
“I want Milwaukee Fashion Week to serve as a platform that brings visibility and resources to the incredible creative talent that already exists in Milwaukee,” says Jeffrey McAlister, President of the Milwaukee Fashion Foundation.
“Milwaukee has the ingredients for a distinctive fashion environment because it sits at the intersection of manufacturing heritage, cultural diversity, affordability and an emerging fashion infrastructure,” says McAlister.
“Unlike established fashion capitals that make breaking into the industry expensive and competitive, Milwaukee allows creators to define the city’s identity.”
Milwaukee Fashion Week utilizes what the city has to offer and shines a spotlight on the creatives.
“The Invite” Exhibition
“The Invite,” the Friday night high fashion exhibition, highlighted many diverse designers from all walks of life.
The designers in this show include Faith Finfrock, presenting “The Realm,” and Jeffrey McAlister, presenting “Fashionsense.
Other designers in “The Invite,” show are Monserrat Delgado, Ana Popa, Elena Akoulova, Shamlla, Eliana Ruiz, Cree Simone Designs, and Bintuamani Boutique.
Each designer showcased unique perspectives on fashion from medieval silhouettes, classy menswear, and modern takes on West African attire.
Vibrant colors and textures passed before the eyes of the audience, displaying how diversely rich the Milwaukee Fashion environment is.
A highlight of the Friday night show was the closer of the runway. Sisters Masah SamForay and Kenye SamForay, founders of Bintuamani Boutique, are Sierra-Leonean Americans originally from the Midwest.
Their designs focus on how to bring traditional West African designs into modern wear.
“It means everything for our two worlds to come together,” said Masah SamForay.
Milwaukee Fashion Week brings together a diverse range of people to celebrate the city. An abundance of creative talent can be found locally.
In one show, the audience was exposed to a variety of cultures, identities and experiences through the language of fashion.
“The most rewarding part for me is creating opportunities for people,” says McAlister. “Whether it’s a designer seeing their collection come down the runway or a model getting that moment in front of an audience; that’s what makes Fashion Week meaningful to me.”