By Mary Harrison and Rachel Kiser
Bold graphic prints, trek gear and oversized clothing are among the anticipated styles for DC Fashion Week’s 29th season. The Sept. 19-23 shows feature talent ranging from college levels to well-established brands, including Michael Lombard, whose luxury leather street wear has been displayed globally, and Syrian designer Maison Chazelle, whose line integrates top trends with the comfort of T-shirts. Developed by Ean Williams, DC Fashion Week has evolved into a critically acclaimed international event and reflects the metropolitan city’s diverse culture.
Ean Williams, Event Founder
What inspired you to launch DC Fashion Week?
As a designer, I saw there wasn’t a platform for local designers to launch their fashions to a fashion community. There wasn’t an established fashion community that attended, supported or participated in fashion events collectively. Most of the local fashion media focused on other city markets and did not feature local designers. The other existing platforms (tradeshows like Magic or New York Fashion Week) were extremely costly for designers to participate in and were not convenient for local designers.
How is D.C.’s fashion week different from the “big four” cities’ fashion weeks?
DC Fashion Week is different from the “big four” mainly because it operates as a not-for-profit organization. DC Fashion Week is largely diverse and was one of the first major platforms to include plus size fashions, modesty fashions and diverse models and designers.
What is your vision for DC Fashion Week 10 years from now?
Make DC Fashion Week the Olympics and United Nations of fashion weeks, attracting the best global designer talent.
Maison Chazelle, Designer
How do you hope to impact the D.C. fashion area, or even global fashion, with your line of T-shirts?
Maison Chazelle’s tops, at the first glance, look like an array of runway pieces with extravagant fabrics. We use a three-dimensional printing technique on comfortable fabrics and we embellish the tops with handmade accessories and Swarovski stones to make them even more glamorous and unique. They make you do a double take, when you take a closer look you realize that they are printed on comfy T-shirts or sweaters. This printing technique with the design inspired by the latest trend in the fashion industry will take fashion to a new era.
What inspirations molded your unique designs and style?
Everything around me inspires me: my girls, my soulmate, maybe a painting, or a conversation, a song, a picture. … Having a unique style for me is being unique by being different, and that is by being yourself.
Why are your shirts a must have T-shirt?
As a stylist with long years of experience and with multicolored cultures, I know how a unique top can make a difference in a women’s closet. A T-shirt is a must for any woman, our unique T-shirt and sweaters are a must have for any stylish classy and practical women. The tops are versatile—you can wear them casually with jeans or with skirts, with flats or heels, day or night.
Michael Lombard, Designer
If you had to describe the aesthetic of your fashion line in two words, what would they be and why?
Modern sexy.
How do you hope to impact the D.C. fashion area, or even global fashion, with your line of leather clothing?
Well I’m pretty international now with write ups in Huffington Post, Trend Prive Magazine and many others, so I’m impacting now after only two years. I’m bringing the modern sexy back to leather apparel. D.C. is my home base so very excited to have gotten my start right here.
What inspired the silhouettes and structure of your leather jackets?
I pay close attention to the world and I create based on my instincts and feeling. I get inspiration from art and structures around the world when I’m in different countries. I sit and I create what I feel. Hopefully it shows in my leather collections.
