See also: Seven best fashion events in May
Westword: Tell us about yourself. Where are you from, and how did you get into designing?
Jessica Rowell: I'm a 24-year-old independent, self-taught bespoke fashion and costume designer based in Denver, Colorado. I was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and raised in Aurora. My background is predominately in traditional art and painting; however, I started experimenting with self-image and self-expression at a very young age, often altering my own clothing and DIY.
I honed a lot of basic skills during this phase and eventually began dabbling in cosplay as a teenager. At the time I was creating character-based costumes for myself and friends, and it eventually led to my original creations. Around the age of seventeen I started working with stage performers and entertainers and simultaneously began developing my fashion portfolio and connecting with local and national talent. Ever since then, my work has progressively grown. It's really been an amazing road thus far filled with incredible opportunities and experiences that have landed me where I am today.
What was the first thing you ever designed/made?Apart from adolescent crafty, sewing-club projects and playing dress-up as a kid, I think my first design was probably the Bride of Frankenstein costume I made for Halloween as a teen. What inspires you?
I'm greatly inspired by my surroundings and emotions, both drastically influence my work. However, each project is uniquely its own; every piece has an individual back-story and other times it's so completely sporadic I don't have either an explanation or an inspirational source! My most frequent and ongoing inspiration and influence derives from Japanese culture, art and fashion.
What is your take on the fashion scene in Denver. What is good, what's bad and what needs work?I think Denver has a somewhat subpar fashion scene that's still quite far from industrialization yet retains a boastful attitude and highbrow mentality; I'd really love to see a more progressive, open-minded approach with a stronger emphasis and sense of community, especially since our scene is still relatively minimal in comparison to fashion at large. We have an immense pool of local creative talent that is too often outcast rather than supported, encouraged, exposed or represented -- so why not turn the tables a bit?
What is the one thing the fashion community could do to support you?
Connecting via my social media outlets helps cultivate my network and outreach; it also allows me the opportunity to meet and communicate with fans, create new contacts and discover other talented collaborators. If you're already supporting me via social media, sharing my work with your friends is another way to help get my art in front of the eyes of others.
If you could choose one famous person to wear your designs, who would that be?It's difficult to pin-point one person particularly, because I love exploring a variety of aesthetics. But if I had to choose, it would probably be Bjork.
The La Rue Fashion Showcase starts at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 24 at BEACONS Creative Community Space Cherry Creek, 2630 East Third Avenue. Tickets at the door are $25 for those over eighteen, $15 for those sixteen to eighteen. For more information, call 303-751-0863.Follow @WestwordCulture
