Engaging patrons in barsand clubs has often led to industrious tactics, from wet T-shirt contests tosashaying ladies hoisting trays of flavored shots. Lately, several club ownershave been tapping into a thirst for local and name-brand fashion as part of amore refined trend that has amped up over the last few years.
One designer, BertKessler, who launched the urban T-shirt brand NEWD Clothing Co. from Kenadee’sin 2006, has become part of the fabric of this trend.
“People in Milwaukee go out to drinkand socialize,” he says. “The clubs offer an affordable way to be in front of acaptive audience. I put on a show there because that’s where they congregate.”
Destination spots likeMoct, Suite, Soho 7 and Apartment 720 have put their spin on thefashion gig, and Decibel Nightclub made a commitment by investing in a physicalset, complete with staging, lighting and curtains. Commitments like this makeit easier for local designers to participate in the movement. And though plentyof work remains, it appears to be worth the effort.
“What’s crazy about mylast show is that five weeks earlier not one of the clothing items had beenmade,” Kessler says. “I went from zero to 40 pieces. But I had to concentrateon the show and not sales. In theory it’s a great idea, but trying to sellproduct at events gets to be too much. After the Decibel show I had people whoknew about my brand from day one approach me and say they saw something theywanted to buy. That says I’m going in the right direction.”
AWin-Win Movement
“We’ve produced showsfor local boutiques like Aala Reed Clothing and national labels Diesel andRemetee,” states Dustin Bowie, Decibel’s manager. “For us, it’s a fresh avenueto entertain. We have to constantly surprise our customers, who are cool,stylish people that care about fashion. That’s reflected in the increase ofrunway shows.”
Clai Green, owner ofLuci Boutique and White Star, who has produced runway events in multiplevenues, has transitioned his strategy from bars to boutique hotels like theIron Horse and Aloft, which are a closer match with his demographic.
“I’ve downsized theshows and reduced them to one or two a year,” Green explains. “The biggestchallenge is the size of the space and stage. Not many venues in Milwaukee can accommodate a large production like New York. The upshot isthat something is happening where clubs are morphing into lounges and creatingmore intimate fashion experiences.”
That “something”requires a crew of talent that includes designers, models, makeup artists,hairstylists, promoters and photographers, along with the social networks thatpost the snapshots and the audience who shares them. So it becomes a winningproposition for an increasing number of Milwaukeeworkers, as well as the clubs.
Rafal Krolik, owner ofSeville Media, frequently photographs fashion events for a nightlife themedwebsite, The Milwaukee Scene. “Since the explosion of reality TV shows like ‘America’s NextTop Model,’ people are fascinated by what’s happening behind the scenes,” hesays. “I try to capture the drama, relationships and chaos unfolding before themodels walk onstage.”
For Angela Damiani,event manager of Suite, the energy generated translates into attendance: “Weutilize many women who may not have modeled professionally to participate inthe show. They in turn invite more friends to attend.”
Krolik, who says theexposure from club-based fashion shows is healthy for the local economy, looksforward to this trend spreading throughout the city. “The spiked interest infashion seems condensed to centralized areas such as the Third Ward, Downtownand the East Side,” he points out. “We are onthe right track, but not quite there yet as a city.”
Green sees reason to beoptimistic about the movement. “One reason there are so many successfulactivities is that people are staying here for the weekend, as opposed to fiveor six years ago when there were less entertainment options,” Green says.“People want to spend their money in the city where they live.”
Based on the increasingnumber of bar-sponsored runway presentations, the marketing movement appears tobe win-win, a delectable cocktail of brand promotion, glamour, ambience andalcoholic beverages—that which boosts revenues for some stimulates culture forothers.
