Austin Fashion Week: 2023
This November, Austin, Texas, celebrated its 15 years of Austin Fashion Week—Founded by Matt Swiney, a fifth-generation Austinite, Austin Fashion Week proved itself to be but simply a place for local designers, up-and-coming designers, Project Runway winners, and all-stars all conveniently in one place. Austin may not have the same fast pace as New York or Milan, but it has just as much character for those who look to the person next to them for a body of inspiration—to the designers who blend in within their everyday, for a look into their mind, and an opportunity to understand a new sense of self-expression.
1. Korto Momolu
Pronounced Cut • Toe – Mo • Mo • Lu, Liberian-born fashion designer and stylist Korto Momolu’s collection exhibits its beauty in its details. Honoring the spirit of her rich heritage with traditional and luxury fabrics. This Project Runway Allstar has been known for her ability to intertwine color and versatility in style. In this collection, she continues to represent her roots with accessories layered over cloaks of gold and black—the authenticity of its own kind, without following trends but remaining inspired by Momolu’s culture and personal vibrance.
Photo reference:@joywithasmile_
Faire Sauvage embodied a collection that, in essence, sparked a coming-of-age in any part of Austin Fashion Week's crowd: the era of sex appeal, the era of sunglasses inside, the movement in flowing shapes and bodies with new textures and unexpected color combinations. Alayna Suber, based in Austin, is the founder and creative director of the brand that remains inspired by thrifts and reworks. Suber’s conceptually driven looks—accessorized with a vintage Playboy curled into a back pocket—are a punk rock, upcycled dream with just the right amount of skin.
Photo reference: @portsbyrob
Coral Castillo's collection achieves the playful intersections between black rebelliousness, sexy cutouts, and daring textures met with elegance. Her vision resonates vividly as she intertwines strength with a touch of softness in every detail. From Mexico City, Castillo’s early encounters with fashion and her mom's work as a dressmaker ignited her passion for design. As a finalist on Project Runway S19, she infuses her collections and runway shows with the fluidity of motion.
Photo reference: @maryg04
With pieces evocative of the ocean, Abels crafted a line inspiring vintage silhouettes that swayed with nature in each step. The nature in which the ocean makes us feel and the nostalgia that lives inside it. Abels's designs re-invent its representation with pastels, pearls, and iridescence. Another Austin-based designer fueled by the myriad possibilities recycling garments and textiles offers, channeling their profound joy into the water and its movements— an eternal muse.
Photo reference: @portsbyrob
Article by Renata Salazar, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Chenglin Qu, Graphic Design Intern, PhotoBook Magazine
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