Emerging Designers Take Center Stage at DCFW Show
By Nicole Gill Council, Council Magazine
DC Fashion Week made a triumphant return over the weekend after the pandemic forced a stop to fashion shows – and most everything else – around the world last year. At Saturday’s Washington Emerging and Ready2Wear Designer Collections, it was invigorating to see designs from fresh faces.
The Hilton Washington DC Capitol Hill Hotel
The emerging designers showcase at the Hilton Washington DC Capitol Hill Hotel featured 12 designers, as well as vendors.
QueJohna Jones showed her Blueprint Effect at DC Fashion Week a week after making her debut at New York Fashion Week. Jones said her line started at “the intersection of grief and love” after the death of her grandmother in 2016.
Jones taught herself how to sew on her grandmother’s sewing machine. “I started with biker shorts in my dorm room at Hampton University,” said Jones, 22.
She arrived at DC Fashion Week carrying the legacy that her mother was a model for the show during the early years. “This is where it all started for us,” Jones said. “I was 1 years old when my mom modeled for DC Fashion Week. And now I’m 22 and I came back here as a designer. It means a lot to me that Mr. Williams gave me this opportunity.”
Jones’ collection opened with teal pants accompanied with a halter-top and ended with a mustard jumpsuit. In between there were more pants, dresses, shorts and a bathing suit in monochromatic colors.
A big bow adorned this outfit from Love Allie Style.
The designer behind Kash Kouture has been sewing only a year, but she knows her target consumer.
“Kash Kouture is an all-inclusive clothing brand for women,” said Katrin Judkins, a Prince George’s County, Maryland, native. “I want to clothe any woman, shape, size, color, whether it’s a mom, whether it’s a dancer.”
Judkins likes stretch fabric, but for DCFW she used her new go-to fabric – taffeta. The collection included a side lace-up dress as well as a dress with cut outs.
““My goal is to make every woman feel sexy, sophisticated and to be bold and do things that she wouldn’t normally do – to take chances.””
The emerging designers in this 35th season of DC Fashion Week were talented, energetic and passionate. It was so refreshing to witness.
Check out this gallery from a few designer collections:
