Fort Worth Fashion Week returns for season two with more shows, designers: 'We have only just begun'

After a successful kickstart in February, season two of Fort Worth Fashion Week is back on Sept. 19 with fresh ideas, designers and runway shows. This fall, the creative minds behind the week of events say they are casting a wider net to capture more of what makes the city’s fashion unique.

Unlike the inaugural fashion week, which featured one runway show, the fall event will host runway shows, art exhibitions and receptions each day. All of the events will showcase designers, with some debuting brand new lines.

“We’re trying to cover everyone and let everyone be seen in the Fort Worth fashion community,” said Phillip Maximilian, creative director for Fort Worth Fashion Week. We have vintage, haute couture, bridal couture, men’s fashion, local boutiques and western styles, Maximilian said.

Integrating more people is the goal this season, with more designers, more companies and more brands than the spring, Maximilian said.

Attendees will get a tour of the city via fashion week events, which range from shows at the Shops at Clearfork to local shopping in the Camp Bowie District to a vintage event that will pay homage to the past in the Cultural District.

City Boots, a local cowboy boots company located on West Vickery Boulevard, will debut their newest Big Bend collection during the Sept. 19 showcase at William Campbell Gallery, located at 217 Foch St. near the Linwood and West 7th entertainment districts. Three runway shows will be hosted at the gallery.

“This collection is inspired by my time out at Big Bend National Park – it’s such an undiscovered part of Texas and I was drawn to the beautiful landscapes,” said Lizzy Bentley, founder and CEO of City Boots. “The colors are neutral, the stitch patterns are windy and jagged just like the landscape and we introduced a suede boot to play with textures.”

The runway show also will include an art installation curated by the gallery. City Boots is partnering with local boutiques to create multiple looks to display their new boots alongside the artwork, Bentley said.

Tickets for Fort Worth Fashion Week

Tickets for the City Boots, LAUDE the Label and Mener Grand Train Co. runway shows are available for purchase online. General admission is $50 and VIP tickets with reserved front row seating are $150.

Guests can also purchase a VIP All-Access Pass for the entire week for $450. Remaining events are free to attend with an RSVP.

LAUDE the Label, an international ethical lifestyle brand and one of Fort Worth’s only independent designer labels located on Main Street, also will debut its 2023 spring/summer line during a runway show at William Campbell Gallery Sept. 21.

“Our collection is inspired by the colors and vibrance of Mexico City and the multidimensional personhood of Frida Kahlo,” said Katie Sansom, creative director for LAUDE the Label. “The collection focuses on warm and vibrant hues, terra cotta and soft neutrals all wrapped into garments that are wearable for real life.”

*LAUDE the Label’s newest spring/summer collection will debut during Fort Worth Fashion Week. (Courtesy photo | LAUDE the Label)*

The collection ranges from feminine shapes to menswear-inspired suiting and structured silk pieces – all to celebrate the many qualities of women, Sansom said.

Attendees can witness the collection months before the official drop during the Sept. 21 show alongside an art exhibition.

This is the first season the William Campbell Gallery will be involved with Fashion Week, with everyone agreeing it’s a “great fit,” said Peeler Howell, the gallery’s director.

Founded in 1974, the William Campbell Gallery works with both nationally recognized artists and fresh talent. The gallery opened up its newest location on Foch Street this past spring.

Like fashion week plans to represent the diverse fashion culture of the city, Howell hopes to represent the diversity of art and artists in Fort Worth.

“We picked a selection of artwork to create an electric and cohesive space. I wanted the art to represent various shapes and colors with Fashion Week in mind,” Howell said. “The art scene in Fort Worth is confidently dynamic, and we try to represent that with our assorted works.”

‘There is fashion in Fort Worth’

This season also will showcase Maximillian’s own clothing brand, Mener Grand Train Co., during the Sept. 24 runway show at William Campbell Gallery. The show, which will be one of the biggest of the week, is very personal to Maximillian.

Mener Grand Train Co., which opened in 2016, currently specializes in men’s couture but will expand with a new women’s couture line.

*Maximillian will debut his very first women’s couture line during Fort Worth Fashion Week. (Courtesy photo | Phillip Maximillian)*

“I actually went to school for making women’s couture,” Maximillian said. “But when I opened my company in Fort Worth, it was hard to break out into that niche in the industry, so I went into men’s fashion.”

This line, titled “THE DEBUT”, is the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication, he said. Maximillian draws parallels between high fashion brands such as Chanel and Dior and the vibe of his future women’s line.

The variety of shows will also illustrate the vibrant arts and fashion culture within the city, which drew many of the designers to Fort Worth in the first place. Bentley said Fort Worth has become a cultural powerhouse that drew her in with its mix of cowboy history and the modern world.

Fort Worth’s deep connection to art makes it a prime location for designers, Sansom said.

“This is a city and community very invested in the arts – we know there is potential for great fashion design here,” Sansom said. “We know we can bring a more global perspective of fashion into the conversation.”

After the success of the first season, Maximilian, his team and the queue of this fall’s designers are excited about what the future holds. But the work is not done yet.

“There are no shortcuts, we are going to have a platform for everyone – designers, models, jewelers, producers,” Maximillian said. “There is fashion in Fort Worth. Everyone and everything is relevant in Fort Worth fashion – we have only just begun.”

Fort Worth Fashion Week Schedule

September 19-25, 2022 – Schedule details courtesy of Phillip Maximillian

Monday Sept. 19: Opening Night – City Boots “The Big Bend Collection” Fashion Runway Show

Location: William Campbell Gallery – 217 Foch Street, Fort Worth, TX 76107

Time: 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.

City Boots presents “The Big Bend Collection” inspired by Big Bend National Park’s natural beauty and landscapes. Art exhibition, post fashion show reception and designers meet and greet hosted by Kribe Schnoor from KirbAppeal with Roxo Media House. Special guest appearance by Jared from Koe Wetzel