DC’s Welcoming Fashion Scene

By: Dinorah Martell 

Last week I had the opportunity to attend DC Fashion Week’s Networking Event. Initially, I did not know what to expect as I had never attended a networking event before, but what I saw was shocking. I always thought DC’s biggest fashion centers were its stores--that there was nothing fashion-related to do in DC but shop. I would soon discover DC’s vibrant fashion community is not only diverse but extremely welcoming. 

The networking event we attended was hosted in the Darcy Hotel where attendees could identify as a fashionista, blogger, model, photographer or designer. My friend and I took the “Fashionista” stickers and embraced our new identities. Coming into this event, I thought networking would be difficult as we were only students and did not do anything formal in the fashion industry like the other participants. To our surprise, the people we met were excited to share their stories with us when they heard that we were part of a fashion club on campus, assuring us that we were just as much a part of the fashion world as they are. 

We talked to a photographer from the DMV area who explained how his hometown has influenced his work. Being from an area that is not thought of as artistic, compared to cities such as New York, made him feel like an outsider. However, this gave him a unique perspective on fashion that was greatly sought out for. This was a common theme among the people we interviewed who felt that their DC roots were the reason for their passions. Paul Obe, another photographer shared with us how he fell in love with photography at a wedding in France, where he realized he was “seeing everything through the lense.” He has made this his life’s work, and speaks about it with such passion. 

A model born and raised in DC said that the DMV area provided unique experiences in the fashion industry that he could not find anywhere else. From his experience, “the DMV area has an enormous black community that stands out from the rest, and that [he] felt at home because of this.” This comment made me realize that the majority of the people at the event were people of color. A Nigerian designer showcased his work that was paying homage to his home. His designs consisted of contemporary kanzus which are a traditional South African piece. I asked him if there was a market for his designs in DC, and surprisingly he said that this year after the Black Lives Matter protest, his designs were in even more demand. Another woman was wearing her traditional Peruvian dress that was so colorful and elegant that every photographer was asking to take her picture. The diversity DC is renowned for was evident in this small fashion hub.

By the end of the night I learned that DC has much to offer fashion-wise, but unfortunately it is not talked about. As a city that has diplomats from every part of the world, it is impossible for its fashion scene to not have any diversity. Therefore, as a writer I feel a responsibility to showcase DC’s diverse fashion scene to incoming students at GW who are looking for a creative community or a place to express their heritage through fashion.