Haute Couture at Chicago Fashion Week

By: Ramon Lazaro

Held on St. Patrick’s Day, the prestigious fashion runway event was the 3rd annual fundraiser for the Live Out Loud Charity (LOLC), a nonprofit organization that promotes self-esteem, suicide prevention and awareness, anti-bullying, and community service. Fashion models wearing TeKay Designs bridal couture gowns and formal wear inspired by royalty, culture and history dazzled the runway during Chicago Fashion Week. Awardwinning international fashion label TeKay Designs brought a historic whirlwind to Chicago “The Windy City” by displaying couture bridal attire and pageant dresses representing queens and kings inspired by civilizations worldwide.

The collection presented by TeKay Designs involved an elaborate and intricate collaboration with suppliers worldwide to import luxurious fabrics, embroidery, crystals and trims into the U.S. “We sourced intricate embroidered brocade from Ghana, embroidered silk from India, and embroidered lace from Europe and Asia. My passion is taking a fabric that is worn in a traditional way and making it into a garment embraced internationally. Instead of manifesting the status quo, I study fabrics worn by folks in other countries and design a gown that transcends continents by employing design elements embraced by women especially in developed nations. I design not only the gown but the complete look including the headpieces and jewelry to be worn with the dress. My designs are statement pieces, works of art and made to leave a lasting impression with the viewer. This uncanny ability is not found in a text book. It is the result of years of travel to various countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, trips to museums and the library, reading about culture and fashion history, working with people in other countries including my production team in Ghana, studying consumer tastes and trends, and sourcing fabrics globally.” states Fashion Designer Kimma Wreh of TeKay Designs.

“I am pleased to present my royal couture bridal and formal collection to the city of Chicago. With approximately 2.7 million residents, Chicago is the third most populous city in the United States. People of diverse cultural backgrounds live in Chicago hence it was important for TeKay Designs to showcase at this event while supporting the Live Out Loud Charity. My collection is an infusion of Egyptian, African, Spanish, European, American and Indian design concepts inspired by royalty. At this event, we released two new dresses that can be worn to a pageant or red carpet occasion. Our designs uplift women by making them feel like a queen.” states Fashion Designer Kimma Wreh of TeKay Designs. Each gown in the award-winning Queen Of The Brides collection is named after a historical queen or woman of significant social status from various countries worldwide. The designer label also featured one of a kind evening dresses and pageant gowns accessorized with lace embroidered veils from their award-winning Crown Collection.

The designer label opened the show with a new couture pageant gown masterpiece made of lime green and dark green silk with green and gold embroidery, embroidered flowery and leaf appliques stitched strategically on the dress and train. Design elements included leaf embroidery on sleeves and cutouts on side and front, above knee length in front with attached train in back lined in green with gold trimming and dark green silk scallops around edges. The dress involved extensive hand stitching in the U.S. with embroidery applied by skilled embroiderers in India. Come enjoy some pampering treatments and learn about this delicious assortment of items ranging from shave products, deodorant swipes, scrubs, hand treatments and so much more! Let me know if you’d prefer to arrive closer to 5pm or 6pm!

We’re thrilled to introduce Whish Beauty, a retro-chic body treatment brand, to Chicago and celebration its nationwide ULTA rollout and would love to have you attend our event at ULTA with the founder Aimee Werner on 3/26. Details are below: