Wells, who starred on Season 9 of Project Runway, kicked off a campaign on Kickstarter this week, in which she hopes to raise $20,000 in 45 days and then launch her Modern Nouveau Collection, which consists of twelve designs. Each design will have a different texture and fabric, including cashmere, wool, silk, faux fur and velvet.
Kickstarter allows people to give money to any kind of endeavor, from bands to breweries, from innovative inventions to unusual documentaries. If the campaign doesn't raise the required amount of money in a stated time frame, however, then no money changes hands.
"It's what everyone is doing now without having to get a loan," says Wells, who raised a much smaller amount, $2,000, last April to fund her fourth annual Forever Darling fashion show at the Sherman Events Center. "I could raise the money to do this one piece at a time, but I'd rather do the whole collection."
The money would help pay for the raw materials and equipment, hiring freelance designers and seamstresses, creating products to sell, and marketing efforts.
In addition, Wells plans to give some of the money to two other entrepreneurs: Samuel Schimek, who runs the I Heart Denver Store at the Denver Pavilions (where Wells's line could be sold); and Jessica Montoya, who recently launched COsewn, an indie fashion development and production company in Denver.
"I think I have a good chance because I have a lot of exposure around this," says Wells, who is also involved in local events being done in conjunction with the Denver Art Museum's upcoming Yves Saint Laurent retrospective.
To find out more about Wells's Modern Nouveau Collection and her fundraising campaign, go to her Kickstarter page.
