A Fashionable Farewell
After nearly 6 years with Kansas City Fashion Week, the time has come to close this chapter. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this amazing organization! The dedication to the local community, arts, fashion, businesses…the people…is unlike any other.
I moved back from Omaha right after law school back in 2014. It was a rough chapter in my life for a variety of reasons. I had attended Omaha Fashion Week right before my move and just knew that Kansas City had to have something similar. So, I researched and found out that they accepted volunteers to help with their events. That September, after having just found out that I didn’t pass the bar exam by 3 points, I found myself diving into volunteer for every show and networking as much as possible (don’t worry, I eventually passed the bar exam :)).
Phil, the CEO of KCFW, is also an attorney and I began talking about KCFW, how I might play a role, opportunities to get more involved, etc. The following season in early 2015, I joined the KCFW team to assist with business development, sponsorship, revenue, etc.
Throughout the 6 years, I was fortunate to get to work with some of the best talent in the U.S. and around the world to bring fashion designs to the KCFW runway twice a year. We partnered with the KC Chiefs, Hayden LA, Liverpool Jeans, Oak Park Mall, Beauty Brands, Helzberg Diamonds, Ulta, Aveda, Renaissance Festival, Unleashed Pet Rescue, Dior, Cooper’s Hawk Winery, Unforked, and so many, many more businesses near and far.
We partnered with celebrity designers, such as Rachel Roy and several from Project Runway (hi, Josh Christensen). We brought together several local businesses for the KCFW market, a silent auction for charity, and swag bags for guests.
We created a platform for designers, models, photographers, volunteers, stylists and more to pursue their creative dreams taking them all over the world to NYFW, Paris FW, Vogue Magazine articles, careers with powerhouse labels, and more.
My role in making all of this happen was only one small piece, but I’m honored. So many strangers became friends, and friends became “family”. I even met the love of my life through KCFW! Thank you to every single person who impacted my life in such positive ways over these last years…the experiences mean more than I could ever possibly express!
But now it is time to close this chapter and re-direct my energies to my family and career. I do not know what the future holds, but I know that I’ll be cheering on my KCFW family along the way <3
