Words by Sarah Fulton and Emily Gregor
New York, Milan, Paris and Tokyo: the four fashion giants of the world. With costs of living increasing daily, many designers are avoiding these fashion hubs altogether. Instead, they’re opting to live in Midwestern cities like Omaha and Minneapolis. Another option: Kansas City, a metropolitan hub creating a runway of its own to cultivate a showcase that is nothing short of glamorous.
After a quick fitting, bridal designer and Missouri native Kendra Harris sends her model off to hair and makeup for all the final touches she needs. From sketching to stitching, the process has always felt natural to Harris. She created KJ Clothing Design in December 2011. This season is based entirely on soft lace, flattering double-knit fabrics, bolts of tulle and anything else that strikes her fancy.
“I don’t design to create art. I design to make a woman beautiful,” Harris says. “To me, it’s all about feeling. How does it feel? And how does it feel when you’re in it? So, I included a lot of fabrics that are super soft.”
This season, Harris is enamored with a rich, smooth burgundy, a gold that would put an Oscar statue to shame , and an immaculately flattering shade of ivory.
“This fabric is very interesting; it’s almost like a stretch satin, but it’s a knit, so it’s super soft and it really hugs the curves,” Harris says. “I love the idea of brides not having to worry last minute like, ‘Oh my gosh, I gained 5 pounds. Will my dress fit?’ So everything stretches slightly.”
This year is her first time hitting the Kansas City runways and to say she is ecstatic would be an understatement. “Doing Kansas City Fashion Week is almost like a launch of my brand,” she says.
On the other side of the city, a power couple reigns over a kingdom of ready-to-wear essentials. “This line is all outerwear, so there are nine models and everyone will have a piece of outerwear,” says designer John Moncke, one of the masterminds behind Architexture, a Kansas City-based industrial brand that has established itself over the past six years. He and his wife, Christina, both have established themselves in the local fashion scene — John unveiling kits for Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer and Christina working on product development at companies like Hudson’s and Lee Jeans. And they have the designing process down. This year, they are all about outerwear that’s stylish, functional and durable. “We always say Architexture is for the strong, smart, modern woman. You should feel empowered to be wearing it,” Christina says. “It’s to be worn from day to work to evening easily by changing out some pieces. Typically, most of the pieces are feminine, but it is very modern.”
Pros, Cons + Midwest Design
Harris and the Monckes have learned their way around the Kansas City fashion scene. Through the process, they’ve found the silver linings of working in the Show Me State, as opposed to Los Angeles or New York City. “I would say the Midwest is very tight-knit,” Harris says. “All of the models work for free, and most of the photographers work for free. Everybody knows each other, so it’s a very tight-knit group. The relaxed atmosphere is also a huge difference.”
Low-cost studio space is another element of the industry that keeps designers planted firmly in the Midwest. “We have a really great studio. A studio like that in New York would cost us immensely more than it costs us here,” John says.
An additional benefit? Since designers aren’t competing with the likes of Elie Saab and Balmain, they have the opportunity to get noticed, fast. “It’s almost easier to be well-known out here because you’re one of 50 designers or one of 10 bridal designers in Kansas City,” Harris says.
The Monckes may have developed a successful Midwest-based brand, but they’re the first to admit they have to spend extra time waiting for fabrics and planning ahead. Much more so than if they were in a bigger city. “On the coasts — this is true of Chicago as well — you have some resources locally when you are in a city, like Chicago or L.A. or New York, from contractors that can produce your line to fabric sources,” John says. “All of that is still available to someone here in Kansas City. You may just have to do that through travel or online.”
Midwestern Muses
Designers are, by nature, creative people. The Kansas City crew works from a different source of inspiration. As the Monckes strive to have their clothes sold at big retailers, like Nordstrom, inspiration often comes from practical places. Christina looks to trend reports and Pinterest to develop ideas that will sell. “I’m not going to tell you Paris inspired my collection because that is not really how we design,” she says. “We have the same aesthetic each season.”
John agrees with his wife but also looks to the larger world. “Inspiration can be anywhere. It can be the front end of an Audi, the color that you see on a Mac or the glass that you see on some building,” John says. “Inspiration can come from, of course, fashion but also outside fashion.”
In contrast, inspiration for Harris’ latest collection came from a more personal place. Her first child, a daughter named Lydia, was born in 2015. When designing the latest KJ Clothing Design collection, Harris imagined what Liddy would wear if she got married now. The theme carried into her Kansas City Fashion Week runway. “Every night before my daughter goes to sleep, I sing her a certain lullaby, which is the song my husband and I danced to for our first dance, so I had that song playing throughout my whole runway,” Harris says of the song, “Tonight” by JJ Heller.
Getting to a place where you can design and sell clothing based on what inspires you is not an easy task. The Monckes have worked in fashion for the past 20 years, and their experiences have taught them lessons up-and-coming designers can learn from.
For five years, Christina taught fashion design and fashion marketing at the Art Institutes International − Kansas City. “I always told my students: Before you branch out on your own, get the experience,” Christina says. “Get the established paycheck from someone else to learn what you need to learn.”
John advocates for making sure there is thorough research and planning behind a brand launch and not just the desire to be in the news. For those who have already launched, he advises retaining a consistent aesthetic. “So many people we have seen over the years swing from one end of the pendulum to another. One season they look one way, and the next season you could not even recognize it was the same line,” John says. “Have some kind of consistency. Have a voice that runs through everything you do.”
The journey to be successful in Midwest fashion may be long and challenging, but for designers who’ve made it their life’s work, it’s worth it.
“My vision has come to reality. That’s the best feeling,” Harris says. “When it’s done, and it’s just the way you want it and you see your creation for the first time in its entirety, that’s the best part and that’s why I design.”
For more Kansas City Fashion Week coverage, take a look behind the scenes with designer Rachel Anne Gottlieb.
