HELM by Joshua Bingaman handmade footwear designed in Austin, Texas, produced in Instanbul from European materials and sold internationally is featured at SXSW new Style X show.
Debuting during the 25th Anniversary of South by Southwest Music, Style X merging fashion with music and interactive is the newest addition to the internationally-renowned festival and conference.
The runway is only one lens to view fashion and Style X joins concept shows such as Coterie, Project or Capsule that move design toward lifestyle and presents more independent voices. Years ago, retail had more local roots consisting of the family run department stores acting as the city’s retail anchor. Specialty market weeks that spanned from New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas to Los Angeles once dominated the buyer’s calendar but mostly now, the attention has drifted to both coasts and Vegas.
With national retailers centralizing buying offices and direct design and retail hone a focused fashion statement to maximize sales, the pendulum swings to the independent boutique both online and brick and mortar offering diversity. Fashion is becoming more individual with street style photo blogging, technology connecting designer with customer, following ethical and eco standards or personalizing design from styling, fabric, color and fit.
Building on the independent movement and the emerging fashion scene in Austin, Style X at SXSW offers a pop-up retail space featuring the show’s labels, multiple fashion shows and brand showcases at the Austin Convention Center for wholesale buyers, musicians and the public. An international and local collection of designers, this year’s line-up includes a concentration of graphic design apparel featured in the Print Row with women’s and men’s apparel and accessories. Check out all the Style X brands here.
About Geoffry
Hey, thanks for reading! I'm a designer, artist, educator and creative enthusiast working in the fashion industry for 20+ years writing about design, art and sometimes politics. You can send me a note or a question about a recent post using the links below.
