It was only the second year for Style to be an official part of SXSW with Style X, but this 2-day retail event has already become bigger and better in its second year.  While last year the runway shows appeared to be more of an afterthought, this year there was more energy surrounding the shows and they drew in a bigger crowd.  But if you were expecting a serious “high fashion” type of show, this was not the place for you to be.  In fact, the entire vibe of Style X is something opposite of a typical high fashion event.

With the continual emergence of the Internet, fashion has made a lot of changes in the last few years concerning who has “the power”.  As Style X Co-Founder and Executive Producer Joah Spearman puts it, ‘Gone are the days when the “fashion elite” sit upon ivory towers, point to a color, pattern or cut and utter the words, “This is in.”’  Style X panelist and StyleLikeU Co-Founder, Elisa Goodkind embraces the change in the industry positively stating, “Your strength can shine through, whatever it is.  There’s room for imperfection and in fact, people appreciate the imperfection.  They like the rawness, and the spontaneity.  It makes them feel an intimate connection to what you’re doing and they can relate.  Typical editorial fashion shoots are very removed and ultimately make people feel like they can’t have those clothes and they can’t be as beautiful as those models.  It makes you feel excluded.”

Who were the models in the Style X runway shows?  Real musicians walked (or in some cases, awkwardly danced) the runway sporting fashions from Style X participating emerging brands.  These models definitely did not make anyone feel excluded.

A variety of brands came to Style X to set up their pop up shops in hopes of standing out amongst over 40 participating emerging brands.  Some brands that caught my eye this year at Style X:

Unstitched Utilities:

Fashioned from recycled and repurposed materials, which are environmentally and vegan friendly, this sneaker brand based out of East Brunswich, New Jersey uses the same material that Fed Ex envelopes are made out of!

TIKKR:

This colorful and funky watch company based out of Austin, has recently collaborated with Phoenix, Arizona based artist J.Pierce to create a limited edition watch with cool unique graphics.  J.Pierce was on site to paint bold, wacky, and colorful paintings in his signature J.Pierce style.

Dandy’s the Gentleman Store:

Dandy’s Gentleman Store is an online store based out of Austin offering proper gentleman’s fancy, from the late 1800s thru The Gatsby Era including suits, bowties, and footwear.  Why have I not heard of this throwback brand before?

Helm:

Helm always stands out in a crowd because their shoes are just so damn stylish.  Every man needs at least one pair of sophisticated and well-made footwear, and that’s what Helm is all about.

Lilly Lorraine:

Designer and Stylist Christi Craven is the woman behind this impressive line out of Austin.  Surprised that I had never heard or seen of her designs, Christi says she has spent the last few years designing and researching.  Style X was Christi’s public debut and one of her couture gowns was featured in the first night’s runway show and definitely caught my eye.  She also already has her own line of jeans.  We are sure to see more from this brand!

Joanna Wilkinson

Keep Austin Stylish