This past May, I had the pleasure of attending Beyond Fashion Fest in Iowa City. Launched by Iowa native Andre Wright, it was a weekend of fashion, comedy and fun. As a Black woman, witnessing a brother move in his own creative lane was inspirational. I walked away from the festivities thinking, “How did he […]
Iowa fashion
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Upcycled and refreshingly unironic, Sadya’s ‘Warning Signs’ fashion show at 237 Collective was an orange and earth-toned treat
Last Saturday, the Cedar Rapids-based 237 Collective hosted Warning Signs, the first of three fashion shows to be presented in the Cherry Building during April 2025. The show was a solo showcase of the work of Sadya, the nom d’artiste of 237 Collective co-creative director Paxton Williams. Models strutted down the runway, a simple outline […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Peak Iowa: ‘The knot that launched an industry’ was tied in Clinton a century ago
Often maligned by fashionheads but never completely exorcized from the wardrobe of surly young boys forced to attend weddings, bar mitzvahs and funerals, the clip-on tie was created in Clinton, Iowa amid the rip-roaring excess of 1928. Presumably, chaps were so busy attending various Gatsby-adjacent parties that it became necessary to save tie-tying time — […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Iowa artist B. Well looks to harmonize his music and new apparel line, Elegance
For musician, activist, fashion enthusiast and Des Moines community leader Billy “B. Well” Weathers, the word “elegance” goes beyond describing expensive gowns or opulent parties. “I think figuring out that I don’t need to do anything to impress anybody else outside of myself [is elegance],” he said, “and the more that I can connect with […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Fashion Forward: YouTuber and dubstep aficionado Erin Crawford wears her ‘weirdness’ on her sleeve
Erin Crawford’s hair has been dyed blue for only around four years, but it might as well be her natural hue. “I love my blue hair,” said the University of Iowa student. “A lot of people ask me why I haven’t done a new color or if I’ll do a new color, but I just […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Fashion Forward: Quinn Herbert embraces DIY style, being ‘so extra’
Quinn Herbert, the latest subject in Little Village’s Fashion Forward video series, presented by Revival, said his clothes and especially accessories represent a personal transformation. “I think initially my style reflected what I want others to think of me,” he said, “and now I think it reflects more about what I think of myself and how I want to feel myself.”
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Sleigh the Runway elevates local designers
Iowa Fashion Project and Go Cedar Rapids’ Sleigh the Runway brought over a dozen of local designers together to share their looks on an extraordinary runway in an unlikely space. The foyer connecting the Double Tree Hilton Hotel to the U.S. Cellular Convention Center is usually home to ticket sales, meet and greets or travel […]
