BY AARON EAGLES AND SHELBY TUTTLE

Around the world, September is one of the most important fashion months of the year, where avant-garde designs are debuted by the industry’s most influential designers at the four major fashion week events in New York, Milan, Paris, and London.

 This month, Green Living is also celebrating the spirit of fashion — most notably, who to watch when it comes to our state’s own fashion scene. This “who to watch” list includes notable individuals who have long been a part of Arizona’s fashion community, along with some fascinating up-and-comers working to make a name for themselves in the industry.

ANGELA JOHNSON AND SHERRI BARRY – FABRIC

Founders of Tempe’s “phygital” fashion incubator, FABRIC, Angela Johnson and Sherri Barry are dedicated to democratizing access to the fashion industry. Sustainability is at the core of FABRIC’s DNA, and the work done within their walls is reinventing a traditional (and wasteful) approach to fashion.

Angela shared, “Our vision is to establish Arizona as a modern fashion industry capital for the U.S. by creating a tech-based, sustainable, closed-loop fashion ecosystem that attracts and supports direct- to-consumer apparel brands. We’re already making significant strides towards this goal, but with additional support, we could achieve even more.”

It’s important to note that FABRIC is actually a non- profit organization and has also donated over $13 million in no-cost/discounted courses and programs designed to help designers and brands get started and be sustainable while chasing their dreams.

DENNITA SEWELL

Dennita Sewell has had a significant impact in elevating fashion as an art form in Arizona. She was monumentally instrumental in the formation of ASU’s partnership with Los Angeles’ renowned Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, and as ASU FIDM’s founding director, Sewell is also a professor of practice, teaching courses on contemporary fashion. Prior to joining ASU, she served as the fashion curator for Phoenix Art Museum, bringing to life more than 50 exhibitions in just under 20 years. Sewell began her storied career as the collections manager for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

KHAMSONE SIRIMANIVONG

Khamsone Sirimanivong has served as the president of Arizona Costume Institute since 2012. She studied fashion design at FIDM and works on projects dedicated to preserving her cultural heritage both here in Arizona and around the globe. Khamsone was recently a featured contributor for USA Today, where she shared more in-depth details about her life as a refugee and how dressing like a boy simultaneously helped her to survive war in her native Laos and led her to a career in fashion, while using it as a meaningful connection to share her history and culture both with the world and those around her.

CHRIS LOOMIS

Longtime photographer Chris Loomis is among the Valley’s in-the-know individuals when it comes to fashion. And while he’s typically the one behind the lens, Loomis will launch his own event on September 13 at Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum. Of the show, Chris says, “Our fashion show will be featuring otherworldly plant forms I personally hand built, as well as a costume I created.”

GALINA MIHALEVA

Couture designer Galina Mihaleva doesn’t just create beautiful designs, she also works on the forefront of science and sustainability, blending technology and fashion to make the wearer more in tune with their surroundings. In addition to designing wearable tech that is both functional and fashionable, Mihaleva owns her own design studio in Scottsdale, where she creates custom couture pieces for the Valley’s elite. Mihaleva is also an associate professor at ASU FIDM.

LEONOR AISPURO

Leonor Aispuro is never afraid to try something new, do something out of the box, and go against the grain. Using the heritage and traditions of her native Mexican culture as inspiration for her unique design aesthetic, Aispuro bucks the fast fashion trend in favor of sustainable and ethical design. She works to leave no material waste and uses earth-friendly dyes and natural processes when possible.

Aispuro has been profiled in Vogue UK, and her work was also featured in Italian Vogue online.

RUBY FARIAS

Ruby not only creates absolutely stunning works but is also dedicated to the growth of the Arizona fashion community. Ruby is a staple within the fashion and art community locally and is always creating something new, usually with sustainability in mind.

She says, “As a custom designer, I always pay attention to what I use, how much I need, so as not to waste. I often utilize all of the fabric, which can include creating accessories with remnants.” Ruby currently has several projects in the works, one of which includes designing a custom gown for Channel 12’s Krystal Henderson to be worn at Phoenix Fashion Week.

OSCAR DE LAS SALAS

Whether a part of the architecture, business, non-profit, art, or fashion community, you most likely know or have heard of Oscar De las salas. An influencer regularly on

the radars of many, Oscar was honored by Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego by deeming his birthday, June 29, “Oscar Day” in Phoenix to recognize him for his many contributions to the community. Although Oscar now heads up the Southwest client relationships division at Gensler, his early time in the fashion industry includes work as a catalog model, set designer, and stylist, no doubt influencing his exceptional sense of style.

NAIOMI GLASSES

Naiomi Glasses is a seventh generation textile artist and designer who resides on the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona. This designer is not only keeping the traditions of her heritage alive, she’s also spreading it around the world in collaborations with brands like Ralph Lauren and in national publications like Vogue, Huffington Post, and Harper’s Bazaar. 

Regarding her collaboration with Ralph Lauren as the design house’s first-ever artist in residence, Naomi shares on the website, “When people wear the collection, I want them to feel empowered. I want them to feel confident, and I want them to know they are supporting the work of a Native artist.” 

KATIE ANDERSON

Katie Anderson may be relatively new to the professional design scene in Arizona, but she’s certainly not new to the industry altogether. Crowned “Outstanding Digital Designer” during Phoenix Fashion Week’s Emerging Designer Bootcamp earlier this year, Anderson is a former wardrobe stylist who grew up with a passion for clothes and even found herself designing as a young child. She says, “Growing up, I was always altering my clothes — cutting, cropping, adding details.”

In her transition from focusing on her work as a stylist to full-on designer, Anderson recently launched a limited collection of tees and hats for GÄRB — her rocker-chic brand with a self- love message that will officially debut a collection of 10 pieces at Phoenix Fashion Week on September 28. Anderson says, “We are a rocker chic brand with a mission to empower women to embrace their uniqueness and ignite a spark of self-love.” With GÄRB’s edgy aesthetic, you might not think that Anderson designs with sustainability in mind — but you’d be wrong.

She notes, “At GÄRB, we keep sustainability in mind by optimizing fabric use and sourcing materials locally, and we do all of our manufacturing in the U.S. We’re also working on a collaboration with a non- profit to raise funds for planting trees in the Amazon.”