Sneak Peek at Denver’s Paper Fashion Show

Currently, throughout the city, locations like downtown’s Milk Market serve as home to several pop-up displays that showcase intricate dresses constructed from an atypical fabric. The ONE Club for Creativity’s Paper Fashion Show is entering its 15th year of runway haute couture with designs made almost entirely of paper on April 12 at 7 p.m. With few restrictions, aside from dress materials required to be made at least 90 percent from paper, this unique showcase is raising the creative bar, and all for the love of art and community.

“This year, we have 54 teams that will be walking on the runways at The Hangar at Stanley Market,” said Michael Garcia, co-manager of the Paper Fashion Show. “It’s our biggest show ever.”

The looks brought together by teams of fashion designers, makeup artists, and hair stylists are handcrafted over countless hours and utilize donated paper from paper mills and coordinated by Spicers Paper. The stunning pieces are then judged by a panel of esteemed, Denver-area designers, and trophies, also made out of paper, are presented to category winners to recognize their art, creativity, and dedication to the ensembles.

Proceeds from the event go to the non-profit Downtown Aurora Visual Arts (DAVA), a local community organization that provides after-school arts programs for youth in high risk situations.

Garcia believes that events like this are of the utmost importance, because they are designed to showcase the skill and individuality of each artist, all while giving back to the community.

“At the end of the day, we all are trying to lift each other up,” Garcia said. “With art, people can really express who they are. Seeing someone create something out of paper is amazing; it shows what you can imagine and how you can turn something so small into life.”

Head over to the Paper Fashion Show event page on Facebook for more information and to purchase tickets.

All photos by Veronica L Holyfield for OUT FRONT