Streetwear Fashion Heats Up Runway in Annual Showcase

The SS24: Street Smartz Fashion Showcase truly highlighted “clothing as art,” bringing eight local collections to the main stage. CopyWrite Creative Studio + Shop, located in Milwaukee’s Bronzeville neighborhood, was transformed into a high-energy runway for all to experience.

“Our vision for the streetwear show has been a little bit different every year, but we kept it the same when it came to teaching designers about quality work over quantity,” SS24 Curator and Creative Director Carlos Vergara said.

Vergara has a selective process when choosing designers, which includes scouring their social media and asking them: “How do you deliver your brand and deliver what you’re doing?” Vegara is also releasing a new collection this fall with his brand, The Right Amount of Ghetto.

“My goal is to hire videographers, multiple photographers and source media outlets to come to the show and talk with these individuals because some designers don’t know how to do it themselves,” he added. “My goal is to be a blueprint for them for the next thing.”

The show opened with a live podcast, which allowed attendees to promote their own work or style before the main event. Alyssa Neff, designer of Matte Black, started the runway show with blue-jean designs featuring dresses, skirts and bags made of denim.

“Streetwear, in my opinion, is a subculture of fashion heads,” said Alex Neff, designer of Matte Black. “For me, (it) kind of represents all the fashion heads that wouldn’t necessarily get their credit from Vogue or places that we traditionally think of in the fashion industry. I think it’s all of the people who found love in fashion and do it not necessarily for monetary gain.”

Handi, the 17-year-old designer of NKRTW, created a wardrobe inspired by his Ethiopian heritage. “It stands for New Kids Run the World,” Handi said. “Streetwear to me is stuff that people are wearing on the street that is cool. It’s not just the Tiktok brands or stuff you see on Instagram but the stuff that people actually wear.”

Mother and daughter Semma and Chloe McCrary are long-time supporters of CopyWrite. In fact, Semma now has a line of candles and natural oils in the shop, while Chloe takes modeling classes at the studio.

“We went to our first fashion show maybe two years ago and fell in love with everything,” Semma said. “It was our vibe, and I feel safe with Chloe being here.” 

Collections featured in SS24: Matte Black, Mishka, Queen Lifestyle, Earth Baby Archive, Brilliantaire Amore, NKRTW, Bumi and Hades