Denver Fashion Weekend Spring ’16 presented by Schomp Automotive will be here before you know it. This year will feature five exciting nights of fashion, hair and beauty. Seats are going quick, so be sure to grab your tickets before they’re gone. This show wouldn’t be possible without those responsible for generating the energy in the room. We’re talking about our hosts who will help guide us through the night. So we sat down with Dahlia Weinstein, Laura Schweizer, Eden Lane, and Eden Sassoon to learn more about their history and thoughts on DFW.
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Image Courtesy of Dahlia Weinstein
Dahlia Weinstein – SW Hairstyling Award Co-Host
What are you most excited for/to see this DFW season?
I’m excited about the five nights of diverse shows that DFW will hold this year. The themes for each evening allow for so much creativity, and showcase the best local fashion and beauty talent, as well as national and international style. Hairstylist extraordinaire Charlie Price and I will be co-hosting night one of DFW on April 6. That night is all about the Southwest Hairstyling Awards. I look forward to meeting many of the celebrity hairstylists I’ve admired throughout my many years in the fashion industry.
What is your background in the fashion industry?
My background is very diverse. I started out as a runway model in Miami during the 90s. I attended art school in the mid-90s and graduated with a degree in fashion design. I combined prior journalism education and my fashion education to become a fashion writer and editorial stylist in the magazine industry. Years later, I founded my own fashion and lifestyle magazine in Denver, and parlayed my background into my current company Clear Creativity. I now provide public relations for many fashion/lifestyle- related clients and produce editorial projects and large-scale fashion shows. (I am excited to style one of the segments for the DFW Hair Show on Sunday, April 10.)
What was your experience like last DFW? How was it hosting and were there any surprises thrown your way?
No surprises really. But, since DFW took place right after the Paris terrorist attacks last year, and since Paris is one of the fashion capitals of the world, I thought it would be appropriate to have a moment of silence at the beginning of the show. I think the audience appreciated it. After that, it was all fashion fun. It’s very rare that I ever get to experience what’s happening at the front of the house during a show. I’m usually backstage handling “organized chaos,” which is what I like to call the backstage scene at a fashion show. When I hosted the DFW fall show, I was able to see the fashion segments come together backstage, and then I introduced them to an excited audience. I got the best of both worlds.
What are you most excited to see at DFW this year?
This year, I’m really excited to see who wins the Southwest Hairstyling Awards. I’ve seen all of the entries and there is so much talent, I don’t know how the judges will come to their decisions.
What do you think we can expect to see from this year’s DFW?
Everything from sophisticated ready-to-wear collections to Avant-garde designs, from street-wear to evening-wear styles, from traditional to unconventional models, and over- the-top hairstyles and makeup looks. There will be something for every fashion lover at DFW’s spring show.
Image courtesy of Laura Schweizer.
Laura Schweizer – Local Designers & Non-Traditional Host
What is your background in the fashion industry?
Growing up in Chicagoland, I never thought my journalism career would take me to what is dubbed the “least Fashionable” town in America. Durango, CO is undoubtedly breathtaking, and the style is as well-but not in a way that you’re thinking. Moving to Denver has brought my fashion mojo back! I’m thrilled to be in the Mile High City- the heart of fashion in the West!
What is your experience with DFW? What are you most excited to see at DFW this year?
As the digital media host of Denver Fall Fashion Week ’15, I was able to see all aspects of the show-what the viewers thought, how the designers felt, and how the models rocked it. This year, like last year, I am most excited to see the passion in every detail brought to the runway. It’s an inspiring feeling to be around such a creative community.
How do you prepare for a show?
Research is key, and so is confidence. Before anything big I always use the mantra, “I Am Laura Schweizer.”
How do you define being a good host?
A good host is dynamic. They must bring a community together by inspiring, humoring and connecting with the crowd.
What are you most excited for/to see this DFW season?
I am most excited for the Non-Traditional Model category. Beauty comes in all forms, sizes, and colors. To be the voice that spotlights that beauty, is an honor!
Eden Lane – National Designers & Local Boutique Host
Photography by Tommy Collier
What are you most excited for/to see this DFW season?
Of course, the work of Colorado designers is the centerpiece, and this year the premier screening of Red Pearl. It’s exciting to see the intersection of Colorado fashion and Colorado film-making.
What is your background in the fashion industry?
Being an arts and entertainment reporter means the fashion industry is one of the facets of the creative community I cover. Runway shows, Red Carpet, and even more fun for me—feature interviews with designers. Sharing their stories gives the viewers another insight into the work required.
How do you think DFW has changed the scene for designers, hairstylist, and makeup artist?
DFW is an important platform for all of the artists in fashion to reach their audience and find new clients. It’s also a chance to stretch creatively and build relationships with other artists.
What designer or brand are you most excited to see on the runway this year?
It’s impossible to single out just one for me. Seeing the growth from designers I already know, and seeing designers who may be new to me, that makes it too rich to single out just one.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Watching Colorado-based designers develop and build a business is inspiring. The investment it takes to step up and share yourself the way these artists do is hard for many of us to understand. I have deep respect for the work and sacrifice required to show during DFW. It’s a thrill to be a small part of this celebration, and I’m grateful 303 Magazine invited me.
Chris Parente at DFW Fall ’15
Chris Parente – Hair Show Host
You’ve hosted Denver Fashion Weekend several times over the years. What keeps you coming back?
This event has proven to me, year after year, that Denver is on the cutting edge of fashion. So many of the artists profiled have gone on to international success. We’re damned lucky to get a sneak peek in our own backyard. Plus, I love hair product and fabric, so everybody wins J
How do you prepare for a show? Do you ever get nervous?
I go through an intense preparation before every show. It involves frequent trips to the Bar at multiple shots of whatever the Bartender is serving. This also helps with nerves. Ok, I’m kidding. Truth is, the focus is fully on the models and the designers. It’s their night, and the spotlight is rightly on them. I’m just there to keep things moving.
How do you define being a good host?
For an event like DFW, I think the secret is to simply get out of the way, and let the artists shine.
What is your favorite night of DFW and why?
I’ve always been a big fan of the Hair shows. Our Denver stylists are second to none, and the “over the top” creations put on display are absolutely fabulous. Higher the hair, closer to God!
Image Courtesy of Eden Sassoon
Eden Sassoon – Boudicca Host
What are you most excited for/to see at DFW?
It’s exciting to see uncensored expression for hairdressers; freedom to create and speak their truths…. For art’s sake it’s a wonderful thing.
What do you hope to bring to DFW?
I would love to bring the spirit and tradition started by my father of excellence not only in hair but in everything we as human beings do. I want to make sure artistry , taste, integrity and talent stay at the forefront of what the beauty industry does.
What is the general idea of Denver fashion/its reputation where your from?
Everyone knows about Aspen and Vail but I think Denver is a little jewel. It’s where some of the healthiest people in the country live and I’m a huge proponent of health and fitness. A healthy mind and body are directly correlated and connects us to each other and the rest of the world. I know that Denver is a hub for that type of intention.
What is your background in the fashion/hair industry?
Contrary to what most people think I don’t do hair. But have I grown up in this industry my entire life watching one of the most revered men and how he navigated himself through it. Now owning my own hair salon in Sunset Plaza along with 2 Pilates studios (Beverly Hills and Beverly Glen) I am able to incorporate the merging of health and beauty… My way.
Tell us about your father and his legacy?
If not my father’s first love, it is right up there… My Father loved this industry. He loved the geometric shapes he could create with a hair and a pair of scissors, bringing hair to the forefront of fashion and elevating the craft in such a way that people could find an appreciation or respect what hairdressers do. Most of all he loved the students and up and comers. They were/are the future of this industry and he knew that. He treated them with the utmost respect which is sometimes lost on hair dressers of today.
Why did you decide to go into the hair industry?
I went into the hair industry to continue my father’s legacy, as well as to create my own. My father believed that through uniting the hair industry miracles could happen. I am continuing his belief and doing it through education. I started a 501c3 called “Beauty Gives back for Thirst.” We have an amazing art team who donates their time to educate stylists from all over the country and through that we raise money to build fresh water wells in Africa. Charlie Price is on our art team and has been an absolute gift. He has championed this cause and given of himself time and time again. Go to www.beautygivesback.care to find out more.