Memphis Fashion Week kicks off for 11th annual event

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The most fashionable event of the year is here as organizers kick off the 11th Annual Memphis Fashion Week (MFW).

The two-day event highlights dozens of designers through MFW’s Emerging Memphis Designer Project – making sure local designer’s ideas make it from the sketchpad to the runway.

Devario Looney has a background in graphic design and never imagined jumping into the fashion world.

“Fashion was like not on the map at all,” he said.

However, after inspiration from one of his favorite designers in 2018, he took the leap of faith.

Now, five years later his designs are featured on the cover of this year’s Memphis Fashion Week magazine called “The Edit.”

“It’s so cool to see their designs go from a drawing to in the process of making it to a final design on a model,” said Sophie Murphy.

Murphy works with Arrow Creative, the parent company of Memphis Fashion Week.

She says designers work for six months leading up to the event.

It’s an opportunity that opens doors for fashion education and innovation.

“It’s all about coming and looking at the creative process and being in awe of the fashion designers we have in Memphis,” Murphy said.

The 2-day event will feature at least 20 designers whose work will be on display for the Bluff City to see.

Lola Johnson, who recently graduated with a degree in Industrial Engineering, is another featured designer.

She says the process has been “surreal.”

“You have these ideas and you bring them to life because you want people to know your story, and so in a way it’s storytelling through the designs as well,” Johnson said.

The designers work for months creating patterns, selecting fabrics and sewing pieces.

Looney describes the design-aesthetic for his brand, Saint Plus, as luxury streetwear.

He says he wants everyone who sees his pieces on the runway to feel “pure happiness” when they see his work.

“I have these dreams that feel so magical and when I feel my designs for the first time and so when people wear them I want people to have that same feeling that I have,” Looney said.

Memphis Fashion Week kicks off Friday with “Fashion Night Out,” where people can sip and shop for a cause from local fashion vendors

For more information on MFW events and ticket information, click here.

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