A WORD FROM OUR INTERN SKY:

@mkefashionweek was such a fun experience to be apart of! I enjoyed seeing all the shows and doing interviews for @copywritemag

To all the wonderful people that I interviewed thank you so much for being apart of my short film. I wanted to add everybody but it would have been a movie.

Interviewees:
@jmacjr03
@hopemarieusa
@silversarkofficial
@shantiofficiall
@222iluvme_
@cielo.marisa
@pop_that_pooley
@_arturovelasco
@jvrvmyy.joelll
@pakou._.222
@gigiwagener
@julieannmaday

My love for fashion started when I was a kid. It was something passed down to me from both of my parents. My mom had a closet I would raid any chance I could get, which I still like to do to this day. My dad collected ties, more than 500 of them, and he loved nothing more than putting on a sharp suit. Between the two of them, I grew up surrounded by style.

I spent hours playing dress-up games, imagining the kind of spaces where fashion was not just personal but celebrated. Living in Milwaukee, I always wished for a place where people like me, people who loved fashion in all its forms, had a community where that love could be shared freely.

Walking into Milwaukee Fashion Week, I realized that dream had found its home. For three days, I watched the city’s fashion community come alive. Designers, models, stylists, photographers and volunteers all wove together into something bigger than a show.

This year, the energy filled three different venues: the Milwaukee Public Museum, City Hall and the Rivulet. Each space had its own story, from high-fashion archive pieces to the blueprint of streetwear and forms and figures. President Jeffrey McAlister called it “the reimagined, renewed and redefined Milwaukee Fashion Week,” and standing there in the middle of it all, I understood exactly what he meant.

On the runway, the designs did more than turn heads; they told stories. Silversärk brought the heat with daring, dramatic pieces that were impossible to forget, while Sam Graham Avant Garde added sophistication, with looks so fly they made me double-take. Some pieces carried a retro flair that pulled me back to the 70s, a time I wasn’t born but still felt connected to through his clothing. Then, during streetwear night came Arturo Velasco, whose work blended his culture and love for Chihuahua, Mexico, transforming them into designs rooted in identity and storytelling. Fashion here was not just about fabric. It was about the designer’s voice, memory, and creativity.

The models brought their own kind of magic. Some had known they wanted to walk the runway since they were a kid, while others found their way here through friendship and community. They reminded me that confidence matters as much as couture. The runway can be a family, a place where people grow together and support one another.

The backstage process was a world of its own, buzzing with urgency, laughter and the constant warmth of curling irons. Student and professional hair and makeup artists moved with precision,

transforming models in minutes. Every detail, from beat faces to sculpted hair, mattered. Watching it unfold felt like seeing another kind of art form, one that rarely comes alive in front of the cameras.

And speaking of cameras, the photographers were everywhere, capturing angles and moments that told their own story. Volunteers kept things running smoothly, helping people to their seats, making everyone feel welcome.

Looking back at my great experience, I walked away with 21 notes from the past 3 nights:

1. The city’s fashion scene is thriving and growing.

2. Milwaukee Fashion Week has come a long way.

3. Every venue told a story.

4. The designer’s couture amazed me.

5. Designers proved fashion can carry culture.

6. Models reminded me that the runway is a family and that confidence matters. 7. Backstage is chaos and inspiration.

8. Hairstylists push limits.

9. Makeup turns faces into art.

10. Photographers make moments last.

11. Volunteers keep everything moving.

12. The hosts feel the crowd and the room with energy.

13. The community is inclusive and very kind.

14. Everyone has a real love for fashion.

15. Designers draw inspiration from everywhere.

16. The runway is about storytelling.

17. Every detail counts.

18. Fashion in Milwaukee is about connection.

19. Organizers want national recognition.

20. Fashion shows are a celebration.

21. And at the heart of it all, Milwaukee Fashion Week is about style, creativity and community!

As Julie Ann Maday, on the finance committee board, told me, “I want Milwaukee Fashion Week on the map like Chicago, New York, or Paris. We have the designers, we have the talent, we just need to keep building.”

And after three nights of being in the middle of it all, I have the highest hopes for the future of Milwaukee Fashion Week as well.

Photo Accredited To Designer, LaTasha Anderson

Did you know that when you walk out into the world, you’re expressing yourself in hundreds of ways every day? For some of you, it’s the songs blasting through your headphones as you’re walking down the street. While for others, it’s your daily rant on Twitter about the latest news in pop culture. Millions of people connect through sharing similarities in aesthetics and interests, whereas other connections are formed by the intrigue and differences of opinion between one another. In the world of fashion, runways, photo-ops, fabrics, and models are the gateway to self-expression of whose creating and what message they’d like to convey to the public. Big cities such as Los Angeles, New York, and Miami often get the credit for the innovation and liveliness of the fashion industry, but this weekend, one of the underdogs came in swinging and made a statement that will last for centuries. Our city, MILWAUKEE, was indeed the underdog who showed up and showed out with a purpose.

Photo Accredited to Tay Sondelski

After hearing the words “Milwaukee Fashion Week”, a visual diary spun around in my mind with countless images and assumptions of what the weekend would entail. Eccentric looks, serene venues, and networking with a party twist is what I imagined. However, nothing could have prepared me for the creativity, euphoric atmosphere, and knowledge I experienced during this year’s Milwaukee Fashion Week. As a city native, it struck me that Milwaukee even held the power to create these bold and beautiful scenic environments. It often felt like I wasn’t even in the city I once knew, one of the major fashion capitals, such as Paris. Seeing the reactions of others in the audience, I instantly knew this thought was not only lingering in my mind. I quickly learned that it meant more to the community than just a night out on the town and feeling as if they were all in a Project Runway episode. Milwaukee Fashion Week 2025 strengthened the community in a severe way, which is why I began asking everyone just how significant and eye-opening the past weekend had been for them.

It amazes me how everynody counts us out. Milwaukee needs to be put on the map when it comes to all things fashion; from streetweat, high-fashion, and archive. We have amazing talent and merchandise right here in the city
-Model Coach & Professional Model, Julie Ann Maday

Milwaukee Fashion Week is important to me because it makes me as a woman feel seen and important. Seeing new designs and how models wear them gives me inspiration for how I rock my clothes and feel sexy!
-Guest, Angela Walker

Videos Accredited to /CW Desriana Gilbert

On Saturday, September 27th, 2025, my first adventure began at The Rivulet, located at 309 N Water Street, Milwaukee, WI. The evening was titled, The BluePrint, with the it girl of the hour being streetwear. As I witnessed the talented designers prepping their models and the adrenaline rushing chaos that we all know to love from a bird’s eye point of view, an epiphany came to me. Spaces such as these, highly anticipated fashion shows, are creating avenues for community members. One avenue is support for careers people never even knew they could have in Milwaukee. I talked with a number of photographers, models, and designers who never even believed this could be a financially stable career, let alone a consistent job flow. Milwaukee Fashion Week ignites the city with representation. The knowledge of not having to move to another city or give up on a dream because it feels out of arm’s reach was boldly shared with not only those who intensified the show but also with audience members as well. I learned that it is one of the leading forces that drives and motivates entrepreneurship in the city. All it takes is for people to see someone from the same city doing exactly what they’ve dreamed about for the city to be transformed into an emerging fashion mecca. The lively and electric night consisted of eight designers who each contributed homage to their own heritage, style, and message.

The Classic Shop

Photos accredited to /CW Desriana Gilbert

The Classic Shoppe, Lela Elizabeth, Aesthetic By Carlos, Designs By Deme, Arturo Velasco, The Wild West, $LEEPYHEAD, and Kingsawan Collective were the heavy-hitting line-up, and they did not come to disappoint; instead, the show already had guests and designers eagerly brainstorming ideas for next year!

The Blueprint: Streetwear Fashion Show not only highlighted how one’s ideas, aspirations, and goals can quickly turn into reality, but it also sparked legendary communal value, most of all! A multitude of guests revealed their vulnerable side and shared how MKE Fashion Week served as an optimistic reflection of the city. Every day, many of them tune into the local news and witness the complexity and dangers of Milwaukee, while others are in a state of survival. Being in tranquil venues while being exposed to stylish storytelling brings a certain kind of peace and comfort in a city where division and uncertainty are the trending topics on a daily basis. This night meant more than trench coats, high heels, and colorful moodboards; it served as a playful metaphor that the guests are the blueprint to the success of our city. Bold leadership and working together will always unify community members.

Photos Accredited to /CW Desriana Gilbert

The vibrant purpose of Milwaukee Fashion Week did not abruptly end on Saturday night; rather, it became more apparent the very next day and was free for everyone to come and enjoy. On Sunday, September 28th, 2025, a live exhibit entitled Forms and Figues was held at Milwaukee City Hall, located at 200 East West Street, Milwaukee, WI. This elegant and high-fashion themed exhibit caught my eye immediately by how inclusive, diverse, and open-minded it was. There was a mix of student designers, professional fashion designers, and fashion institutions that represented the thousands of ideas that run through their minds and become a breathtaking visual story. The unique element of having the designers and model stand on the same platform, while four to five chairs surrounded them, added a personal touch to the previous events held during the weekend. This provided a very rare interpersonal connection between audience members and designers, where people had the opportunity to ask any question they had for models or the designer, such as a piece of advice, designers to share their creative process, or what message they wanted people to take away from not only the look presented in front of them but their entire collection as well. This sparked much confidence, passion and motivation for the next generation of those who dream of being in the fashion industry.

Photos Accredited to /CW Desriana Gilbert

Photo Accredited to /CW Desriana Gilbert

Many believe fashion is superficial or doesn’t go beyond the surface level of movies such as, The Devil Wears Prada and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but that’s far from the truth. Milwaukee Fashion Week is a living testament that knowledge, power, collaboration, support and creative freedom unifies a community. Think of fashion designers as the storytellers, models as the story, and audience members as ones who hold the power of how far the message reaches within the community for change and innovation to come.

Follow MKE fashion week on all platforms @mkefashionweek for an exclusive recap of this year’s itinerary if you missed it. Comment down below what you are excited to see next year!