Blood, sweat and fashion: Colorado Fashion Week 2013 starts today

Justice Kwesi Kwarteng is smartly dressed and educated. Perhaps most important, the founder and creative director of Colorado Fashion Week, which starts today, has a quiet disposition. And that's good, because with multiple events happening this week, the entity he created can become quite chaotic. See also:Colorado Fashion Week behind...

By Tracie Keesee

October 1, 2013

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Justice Kwesi Kwarteng is smartly dressed and educated. Perhaps most important, the founder and creative director of Colorado Fashion Week, which starts today, has a quiet disposition. And that's good, because with multiple events happening this week, the entity he created can become quite chaotic.

Those in the fashion business in this town know there's been an ongoing struggle to determine the best way for the fashion community to become a sustainable force -- not just for the creative people involved in it, but also as an economic contributor to the state. Justice recognizes that there are divisions between certain groups, all of which are attempting to shine a light on the metro area's burgeoning fashion businesses; he realizes that mistakes have been made along the way.

But above all, he notes how hard people have worked to create a viable industry here. "For three years, I have invested thousands of dollars of my own money, including money gifted to me by family members," he explains. "They ask me why I continue to do this -- and it's because I know that Colorado can strategically place itself to become a force in a $250 billion global fashion business." And he says he's definitely not the only person who should receive credit for the result of hundreds of planning hours and personal sacrifices made in order to share the talents of those in this industry.

See what's resulted from all that work when CFW 2013 begins today with both private and public activities. The main events that showcase local talents include the CFW Master of Hair + Makeup Artistry Show on Friday, October 4, and designer runway presentations scheduled for Saturday, October 5. For tickets to all CFW events, go to Eventbrite.com.

For more information, contact Justice Kwesi Kwarteng at [email protected] or 720-495-4892.

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