One Bushwick-based designer is repping our neighborhood at New York Fashion Week in the best possible way — by showing the fashion world how diversity is done.
Becca McCharen is perhaps best known in Bushwick as one of the founders of artist and party collective Witches of Bushwick. Her brand Chromat established five years ago, however, has been a household name for the likes of Beyonce, Madonna, or Nicki Minaj who all swear by her sexy, architecture-inspired corsets and body cages.
This past Friday at MADE Fashion Week, Chromat was on a pedestal also for another reason. The brand has cast, so unlike other NYFW brand presentations, an array of models in all colors and shapes to walk the runway. Becca said that many of the models — alongside the models of Alek Wek caliber — were her friends, and that she wanted to give them visibility because she loves and respects them.
“I’m so against all white, straight, skinny girl runways,” she said. “That just doesn’t reflect my reality and who I am and who the Chromat woman is. And so for every season, we’ve been all about strong, powerful women.”
Many fashion designers excuse their all skinny model lineups by the sizes of their samples. But Becca explained that it’s completely up to the designer to choose to use a pattern-making resources for non-straight-size models.
Becca gave transgender women their moment in her show as well. “For me, it’s such a powerful story because they’re the ultimate in strength — having to overcome so much just to walk down the street,” she said. “So [for transgender women] to storm the runway, that’s just a really incredible thing and I’m in awe.”
We’re in awe, Becca, about how awesome you are!
Chromat’s fashion line awesome in itself in every right has presented such futuristic pieces as a sweat responding bra or an adrenalin powered a wings thanks to their collaboration with Intel.