See also: Fashion at Artopia 2015's Whiteout: Meet Deb Henriksen, Founder of Equillibrium

Gino Velardi: I never went to school for fashion design. I was a stylist and costume designer. I started by exhibiting small collections in local galleries, having five to six models wearing my designs according to the theme of the gallery. Creatively, it was super-fun to push my designing skills.

How do you describe your style/work?

My work is a reflection of the kind of woman I love to dress. All of my collections have something for every generation. I design for women like my mother, sister and grandmother. They all can select something from the collections. My clothing is very sophisticated with the cuts. I select sensuous fabrics and, as I always say, I want my designs to be unapologetically sexy.

My collection will represent a vision in white! We'll be going from day to evening clothing. I'm playing with different textiles, while maintaining my philosophy of the well-dressed woman with confidence and sexuality.

What's your favorite thing about the Denver art/fashion/design scene?

I've been in the Denver fashion scene for many years, and it's been very exciting to see new emerging talent every year. It inspires me to see what new ideas are out there while contributing to the fashion scene.

The most important thing is to support local talent by attending their exhibits and purchasing their art.

I always offer free consultations with all my clients. There's nothing like creating an outfit for a client and seeing their excitement about having a one-of-a-kind creation. That's what I like to do. I can be contacted at 720-839-8871 or e-mail at [email protected]

Find out more about Gino Velardi Designs here. Buy $20 general admission tickets to Westword's Artopia, which now includes the Whiteout fashion show, for just $20 here -- use the showandtell promo code.