D.C. Fashion Week (DCFW) is a bi-annual event that brings together international and local designers to showcase their newest collections. At the forefront of the fashion show, the spectators see the latest clothing lines. However, behind the scenes, all of the hard work that goes into DCFW comes to light. Models have grown and worked to get to this moment, designers have been sitting on their works for years and creating new ideas, and stylists have developed their styles for decades to create the perfect outfit for this one night. Though the final products that are shown at DCFW are often the main point of discussion, diving into the backgrounds of these multidimensional creators shows how meaningful their work really is.
Connell Jr. Couture
Barry Richard Connell Jr. is the fashion designer for Connell Jr. Couture and head director of a non-profit organization called The Lotus Project. His non-profit helps the homeless and cleans up trash, but their main goal is to help individuals be more them. According to Connell Jr., when people are doing what inspires them, or what gets them fueled up, they’re happier by doing things that make them more themselves. The Lotus Project strives to “teach people that they have the ability to be whatever they want to be,” Connell Jr. says.
Connell Jr. started designing in San Diego in 2021 as a way to express himself. He and his team would go to swap meets to get inexpensive, one-of-a-kind fabrics that allowed Connell Jr. to bring couture to streetwear. Now, they go to thrift stores in DC, adding to their collection of 110 sustainable fabrics that they use for designing. At the DCFW networking party, Connell Jr. showed off one of his designs by wearing a signature Connell Jr. hoodie, made from sustainable curtain fabric. The custom hoodie is a crossover between a traditional hoodie and a turtleneck. Some of their best creations come from the “four am days, where they’ve been working thirteen hours,” Connell Jr. says. This hoodie, for example, was made specifically for events in Connell Jr.’s life. When he was a professional soccer player in Europe, he would have 26-hour layovers where he was desperate to get some sleep, but never had the chance to. This hoodie was designed with an elongated hood that can be pulled right over the wearer’s head to allow them to sleep peacefully without any disturbance.
Connell Jr.’s unique designs were groundbreaking when displayed at Sunday’s international showcase. Spectators could see the many hours of work put into each specific design and how it inspired the models, media, spectators, and Connell Jr. himself. Connell Jr. was passionate about passing on words of advice to emerging designers and said “please don’t give up. We’re all out here trying. You may not be the only one, but nobody is you. So keep trying and keep working.”
Instagram: @connelljrcouture
Jade Jonah
Jade Jonah has been modeling for about three years and has walked in three different DCFW showcases. After about a year of modeling professionally, Jonah had a devastating seizure that prevented her from walking and made her chance of runway modeling almost impossible. She persevered, relearned how to walk, and also slowly began to runway walk, essentially re-learning the basics of modeling. Now she’s a voice for models with disabilities and encourages others to not let their conditions stop them from pursuing their dreams.
'This DCFW, Jonah walked on Saturday and Sunday for multiple designers, including House of Sky and Corjor International. Based on Jonah’s experience walking in numerous shows, she advised young models to “pick your company very carefully. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Jonah also said that freelancing is an essential tool for young and new models to learn the basics. “You can learn anything there is to know about modeling online,” Jonah says, “YouTube is a wonderful source.” The most important thing Jonah stated, however, is to avoid taking “no” for an answer and to chase your dreams.
Instagram: @officialjadejonah
Ranita Opoku-Sarfo
Ranita Opoku-Sarfo is the perfect embodiment of someone who does it all. After clocking out at five o’clock from her public service job with the federal government, Sarfo changed in a Chick-Fil-A bathroom into her international outfit from Abaya Couture and showed up to the DCFW event that started at six.
Since Sarfo was a young girl, she had a passion to work for the government and pursue a modeling career. She grew up watching America’s Next Top Model and drew inspiration from that. At the same time, she followed her desire to go to college and put her education first. Sarfo decided to start her modeling career after completing her undergraduate degree in 2021 and her master’s degree in 2022. She auditioned for DCFW last year but was not accepted. This year, she came back with more confidence and experience and walked in Sunday's International Showcase, going out with a bang on the last day. Sarfo says that her goal is to make sure that she’s having a good time while working, but she would love to have a modeling job that makes the same amount of money as she does during her day job. “But,” Sarfo says, “this is my start, my foot into the door.”
Instagram: @nita_blessing
House of Vaughn
Devonne Panel, also known as Mr. Vaughn, is the founder of House of Vaughn. He started learning how to sew during the COVID-19 pandemic. He spent a lot of money on clothes in 2020, then gained some weight. Instead of being disappointed that he could no longer fit into these clothes, he used it as an opportunity to start making his own styles, according to Mr. Vaughn. Mr. Vaughn said he had a dream to be a designer, so he “bought a sewing machine and started winging it,” drawing inspiration from items he saw online.
Mr. Vaughn’s main inspiration comes from three sources: royalty (everyone should feel like kings and queens), pageantry (glamor from things like Miss USA), and culture (African, Indian, everything), according to Mr. Vaughn. He stated that our entire lives, men are told “colors aren't for certain people or certain silhouettes or certain textures and layers.” In response, he creates a median where men can be glamorous without being judged. Men can “step out, really represent, and live like royalty,” says Mr. Vaughn, while still maintaining their masculinity and “representing our true art forms, which is ourselves.”
Mr. Vaughn debuted his original kimono two-piece, made four years ago from Walmart scrap fabric, purchased at eight dollars for four yards, at the DCFW Networking Party. For Mr. Vaughn fashion “is a fantasy land; when I dress like this, it is not myself.” Mr. Vaughn feels that he exudes a more confident person, with a completely different vibe, when he wears his self-made pieces. He states that his fashion acts “like a beautiful stain,” causing his alter-ego to trickle down into his everyday life.
Instagram: @mr.vaughn_0215
Andrea Young
Andrea Young, a vibrant stylist who’s lived in DC for 26 years now, is no stranger to DCFW. This event was her sixth time coming to support the show and advertise her work. She came with her client, Joneh Charleine, also known as Miss Ethiopia World International. Young mixes together her client’s bubbly personality with current trends by draping her in a soft, trendy, neon green, edgy silvery metal, and many layers.
Young’s inspiration is mainly drawn from old movies. While others might obsess over Audrey Hepburn, Doris Day and Diahann Carroll caught Young’s eye. Young grew up watching these old movies and she loved how every piece was styled from head to toe, made to perfection, and always had a coat to go with it. She still watches old shows and movies to get inspiration, according to Young, and she works to have that come through in her outfits. She’s a military wife so she travels abroad quite a bit, allowing her to learn from different cultures and their fashion.
Young uses social media and word of mouth, as well as personal advertising, in order to get her work out there. “I'm a walking billboard for myself,” Young says. She loves when people come up to her and ask her where she bought something she’s wearing. Sometimes she’ll see someone wearing the same thing as her, but styled differently, and instead of getting upset about it, she thinks “Oh my God, I didn't even think to wear it like that,” using it as inspiration for her next outfit, according to Young.
Instagram: @andreayoungthestylist
DEViURi
Ahmad Williams, DEViURi’s fashion designer, came to Thursday’s networking party to support other designers who showcased at DCFW. He showed off his self-designed outfits by sporting his favorite bowling shoes, inspired by the Bible verse, “bones come to life.” His brand mainly focuses on clothes, but they also make accessories, such as shoes and handbags, drawing inspiration from what people actually wear on a day-to-day basis. Growing up, he always knew how to dress, but he didn't realize that he could make a career out of it, according to Williams. About three years ago, he started designing, and since then, Williams has been doing everything for his brand, from sewing to cutting and designing. His new collection will be debuting soon on Instagram.
Instagram: @thereelahmad
If there’s one thing that all of these people have taught me this week it’s that you can’t let one, two, or even a hundred rejections stop you. Each of these designers, stylists, models, and creatives has persisted in their work despite the challenges they faced. DCFW is made possible because of these people who continue to work hard for what they are passionate about. All of their hours of hard work, practice, and perseverance came through this week to create a beautiful event that inspired everyone to be creative, bringing out DC’s artistic light.
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