Pittsburgh Fashion Week recap

So I got to go to the runway show of Pittsburgh Fashion Week for the first time ever and while the event has only been held four times now, I was very impressed with the diverse fashion that was showcased at the show. Pittsburgh Fashion Week (PGHFW) is a week-long event held for all forms of fashion enthusiasts. This year, there was a Social at Sienna Mercato Rooftop to kick-off PGHFW. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the Social but PGH Fashion Week Ambassador and Fashion student Gabriela Droz expressed how much of a success it was by saying, "It was very fun, everybody was so fashionable and it was nice seeing very passionate people supporting the local fashion community." As an ambassador, Droz got to see a lot of the designers' talent first-hand. "Being part of the PGHFW18 team has been an amazing experience. They are very passionate and supportive. It is inspiring as a Fashion student to see my peers doing what they love and how much they do for the Fashion community in Pittsburgh." For this article, I want to highlight three of my favorite designers out of the eight local designers from the show.

Full list of designers from PGH Fashion Week runway show: 1) Anna Lemley 2) Andre Jones 3) Mad Recital 4) Bernice Yu 5) Lauria Pascuzzi 6) Elaine Healey X Sarah Sindler 7) Oona Nateson

1. Andre Jones: His designs were my #1 favorite for many reasons but the main one being that they were made by him, a black designer; I cannot express enough how undervalued black designers are in the fashion industry even though a lot of fashion trends are influenced by black culture but we don't have to get into that right now. Andre Jones' designs are sporty and edgy; I feel like I could throw on the outfit below for a comfortable yet bomb ass look along with black over-the-knee boots, a mini backpack, plenty of gold or silver jewelry (preferably gold), and the best wig that I own. His designs are certainly unique––he even designs flight suits!!!––but I 'll just leave you to explore his website here.

Picture credit: Bruce Cowart photography

Picture credit: Monica Godfrey photography

Picture credit: Bruce Cowart photography 

Photo of Bernice Yu; picture credit: Jameek Booth

2. Yux: The designer Bernice Yu amazed me with the accessories that were used in her collection. Have you ever seen accessories like the one pictured to the right below? I have never seen anything like it, which made her designs my second favorite. Her designs are simple but sleek; the color palette is beautiful and soft which makes her collection aesthetically pleasing for me. Also, she deserves a round of applause for inclusion!!! At this point, can we stop categorizing clothing as "men" and "women" to determine who is socially allowed to wear what?

Picture credit: Monica Godfrey photography

Picture credit: Jameek Booth 

3. Elaine Healy x King Reld: This collection was...just dope. Elaine Healy designed the apparel while Sarah J Sindler (aka King Reld) created the grillz and mouth jewelry. After seeing this collaboration, I decided that I need to get a grill and I need to get it from King Reld because the custom-designed ones with stones hanging from them are way ahead of this time. Honestly, I am surprised that I have not seen rappers or the Kardashians rocking that yet, which proves Sindler's immense creativity. This was an impressive collaboration because the grills went well with Healy's designs of ruffles and sheer creations. You can shop both Healy's clothing and Sindler's grills/teeth jewelry here!

Picture credit: Monica Godfrey photography

Picture credit: Monica Godfrey photography

Picture by moi

Picture credit: Monica Godfrey photography

Like I said before, I was impressed with the designs and diversity that appeared on the runway. I never knew Pittsburgh had a Fashion Week until this year and while it is great to see fashion become more integrated into Pittsburgh's culture, I hope to see it grow bigger than this because it honestly has the opportunity to do so. Pittsburgh may not be as big of a city as New York or Miami when it comes to fashion but that does not mean that it should be overlooked. "Pittsburgh is not known for its Fashion, but if people knew about all the amazing Fashion Designers, business owners, bloggers, and fashion influencers, they will be beyond thrilled," Droz states. There is an immense amount of talent in this city and I hope each talent gets the attention it deserves. I would like to congratulate all the designers listed below on a successful show and thank them for sharing their talent. If you are ever in Pittsburgh around this time of the year, I hope you can make it out to the next runway show of Pittsburgh Fashion Week!

                                                                             -AK