CHICAGO (CBS) — Chicago area designers are already preparing for the first official Fashion Week in the city.
The inaugural event doesn’t happen until October, but they are already beginning to work on their collections for the shows.
One designer gives a look inside her studio as she prepares to show her new collection on opening night.
You can’t find fabric like this anywhere except in Sheila Rashid’s studio in Little Village.
“The designers here just have to make, carve their own space, like, it doesn’t matter what any other designers are doing. We just kind of do our own thing,” she said.
Sometimes, that “thing” looks like collaging old photographs from 90s black hair magazines to make your own denim.
“Each collection, I try to come up with something that I’m inspired by, and my last collection, Good Hair Day, was inspired by my mom. I grew up in the salon.”
For nearly two decades, Rashid has been designing and developing a distinct look—one that she says is made to reflect Chicago from her perspective.
“I feel like we kind of have our own subculture, you know, which is not known for that, but to know that my style pretty much reflect the city, that’s big for me. I just feel like I am, you know, epitome of, you know, just being here,” she said.
She uses bold colors and plenty of denim to create unisex workwear fitted for the city’s fickle weather and style particularities.
“I believe that Chicago’s fashion is pretty monotone, like, we like our sets, we like to match. You know, we like our monochrome look, and we get all four seasons.”
Her collections have caught the eye of Chicagoans and celebrities alike. Zendaya, Bella Hadid, Lena Waithe, and Chance the Rapper have worn her designs. What she’s bringing to Chicago Fashion Week hasn’t been seen on any red carpet or Instagram feed.
“I’m going to probably present something I’ve never done before. I’m going to make a new collection,” she said.
Something distinctly Chicago for a week of fashion that Rashid thinks will permanently elevate the city’s fashion scene.
“I hope that it will bring something annually for the city because nothing has ever really stuck, like, oh, this is for fashion, this is for Chicago fashion, and I feel like this, this really screams that to me.”
The official Chicago Fashion Week, endorsed by the city and Choose Chicago, will take place across the city from Oct. 9-12.
The full list of local designers can be found at chicagofashionweek.com.
