Local designer Kelsey Garner will feature her line K.S. Garner at the downtown Renaissance as part of the hotel’s annual Global Day of Discovery June 16. Garner has been preparing for months and is eager is show her women’s fashion line, plus some exclusives she’s produced solely for this show.
K.S. Garner fashion courtesy of Kelsey Garner
“My style is definitely more bohemian; I’m very inspired by the 60s and 70s,” Garner says. “I like to use loud fabrics, loud colors–things that make your eyes pop.”
K.S. Garner fashion courtesy of Kelsey Garner
Garner says she likes to design looks that are edgy, yet make the wearer feel confident. She encourages her audience to challenge their own “comfort level” and get creative.
She’s been working in fashion design about five and a half years. She recently earned her associates degree in fashion design with an additional certificate in pattern making from Mesa Community College.
In the fall, as part of her work towards graduation, Garner debuted a women’s and a men’s line of clothing on the runway. “Modern-day men love crazy fashion just as much as women,” she explains. She handles all steps of the process of design—from draping to the pattern-making to the actual construction.
Garner started working locally in fashion as a stylist. She was asked to do styling for some local bands working on music videos (Emby Alexander, Decker and Dry River Yacht Club). That led to the decision a couple of years ago to create her own business. She’s launched ksgarner.com for her clothing designs and a presence on Instagram (@ksgarner).
K.S. Garner fashion courtesy of Kelsey Garner
Just this season (spring) she also added a children’s line to her repertoire. She’s hoping to branch out her market and grow her brand through her connections from MCC. She is also looking to the LA market and hoping to book some fashion shows there, perhaps later this year, she says. A couple of people she has worked with, such as a fashion designer friend and director Trevvor Riley, have relocated there.
She says her focus and energy for now is on her website, networking and making clothes.
The Renaissance Global Day of Discover is an event held every year in June. This year hotels in event happens June 16. The Phoenix Global Day of Discovery begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are free and there will be a live music performance by The Stakes, and food and cocktail tastings provided by local chefs and mixologists.
For more information about the event use hashtag #DayofDiscovery or visit Eventbrite. To check out Garner’s fashion designs, visit ksgarner.com.