Before the runway, there was the gallery.
We got asked to build a space inside Hotel Kansas City for the KCFW Fall/Winter 2024 Gallery Designer Presentation, alongside a handful of other designers who each got their own room. It wasn't a runway show, it was a walking gallery. People moved from space to space, and inside ours, models weren't just standing around in the clothes, they were living in it. Sitting, lounging, existing in a room we built specifically for them to exist in.
We got to work with an interior designer for the first time to actually build that room around our pieces instead of just hanging them on a rack. Every detail in there meant something. We added a Kewpie doll as a nod to Trey's high school mascot. We filled the space with greenery because growth is basically the whole point of what we do. Every single piece in the gallery was a repurposed piece, material we'd found a way to enhance instead of starting from scratch.
The Denim Set
Denim-pocket Hoodie and Denim-reinforced Sweatpants, constructed and co-designed with Alexandra George.
The Distressed and Embellished Set
Distressed and Embellished Crewneck and Distressed and Embellished Sweatpants, constructed and co-designed with Alexandra George.
The Garden Set
Garden Hoodie and Garden Sweatpants, constructed and co-designed with our friend Rachie, who we brought on to help bring this set to life.
The Crochet Set
Crochet Short-sleeve Crewneck and Crochet Wrap-shorts, constructed and co-designed with Alexandra George.
Four sets, four stories. Two of them, the Denim Set and the Crochet Set, went on to walk the actual KCFW runway a couple days later. That was the first time we'd ever been on a runway, and it started here, in a hotel room we built with an interior designer and filled with growing things.
We're endlessly grateful to the models who lived in that space with us that night. What they bring is real artistry, they're the reason a piece stops being fabric on a hanger and becomes something alive. The gallery backdrop wall was painted by Halfmoonstudioz. The gallery set itself was constructed and co-designed with @jwdesignkc. Photos were captured by @at0dd.
We want to thank Kansas City Fashion Week for an experience we won't ever forget. We got to tell our story in a way we'd never done before, and the feedback was unbelievable. Thank you to everyone on our team who helped this come together, and thank you to Kansas City for the support that keeps making this possible.
