by Heather Mann
by Victoria Sahara Banda
The second Crochet Fashion Week took place in Queens, NY August 11-13, 2023. Over 30 international designers created collections encapsulating this event’s theme, A Stitch in Time. After speaking with CEO Deltra Perryman and hearing her passion for crochet, I knew this event was one-of-a-kind. We all know the fiber industry skews to the knitting side so to see a crochet-specific fashion show with modern and artful pieces… it was a no brainer. I had to be there both for myself and on behalf of Furls Crochet and Crochet Foundry.
Accessory Extravaganza
The weekend began on Friday with the Accessory Extravaganza! Six designers showcased creative and beautifully crocheted accessories that went beyond typical scarves and hats we are used to seeing. The fun textures and colors wowed the engaged audience and gave a taste for the rest of the weekend. Accessory Extravaganza showed just how fashion forward crocheted accessories can be.
Doilies and granny squares are beautiful and continue to take their well-deserved space in the crochet community however crochet can be so much more. The variety of accessories ranged from timeless matching handbags and neckwear to futuristic textured coverups and shawls. Each designer brought their meaning of A Stitch in Time while keeping the audience anticipating the next piece to come down the runway.
A highlight of the night was DimpleMoses’s sleek collection of handbags that mixed crochet with clear plastic panels and eye-catching hardware. Along with her beautiful Timeless collection, DimpleMoses also crocheted the Crochet Fashion Week backdrop which consisted of over 100,000 stitches!
Crochet Fashion Week day one was a success and I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of the weekend meeting amazing crocheters and enjoying over 15 more designer’s creations across Saturday and Sunday.
It’s a Man’s World
Ha! And for once I am not mad at it! It’s a Man’s World – Featuring Men Designers and Men’s Designs was day two of Crochet Fashion Week and it was SO fun to see this side of crochet. The mix between men’s wear and designs by men was refreshing and brought something different to the crochet-industry table. The designs ranged from coordinating outfits, beachwear, to garments that could be stylishly worn by men, women, and non-binary folx.https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj3lsl1p1it/embed/?cr=1&v=14&wp=810&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fcrochetfoundry.com&rp=%2Fblogs%2Fnews%2Fvictorias-crochet-fashion-week-diary#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A1248%2C%22ls%22%3A314.5%2C%22le%22%3A1181.5%7D
I also got to meet a Crochet Foundry favorite, BNHO Crochet, who showcased four Caribbean-ready designs on Saturday. I can confirm: Shawn is the nicest person ever. Read our interview with him in the August 2023 issue!
We all offer a unique perspective to the creations we make so seeing the diverse designs on the runway designed by men and/or for men was special. We can appreciate masculine garments while also seeing how having more gender-neutral designs is also important.
A crowd favorite (including me) was Garee Creations (with two ‘e’s because he is extra like that). With ten pieces closing the show, his designs wowed us. Garee’s designs had a perfect balance of creativity and wearability. All of his pieces were modelled by men and they looked fantastic. However the best part about them was that most of the designs really could be worn by anyone of any gender. It’s the beauty of crochet being for everyone!
A successful day two ended and everyone was buzzing for Sunday’s big finale.
A Stitch in Time
Sunday had the biggest crowd and everyone was excited to see the beautiful designs hit the runway. I was also super excited because I knew I was going to meet Mrs. Deveter. It’s always a funny feeling meeting someone you feel like you already know. It was super happy getting a big hug.