Rose from Concrete: PT II, Storms 

Rise like a rose from concrete…unstoppable beauty!

We open and close our collection with two red roses. Our rose "blooms" after surviving a series of storms. We close with rainbows. 

Unstoppable beauty from the most unlikely circumstances. From lightening and thunder! 

I’ve always been fascinated with storms. It started with tornados. I was born in Colorado and experienced them as a little girl.

Somewhere down Tornado Alley... 

Photography of Pao Coronel, by Melissa Lully, Broken Mirror Beauty 

My experiences with storms, like tornados and hurricanes are vivid, terrifying memories. Relevant for representing adversity in this collection. 

Storms are also a major theme in climate change. They’re getting more frequent, violent, worsening in intensity, and changing locations based on climate. 

Storms devastate communities for years. Hard to deny after experiencing them. It takes years to recover.

I asked a friend who works in TV and “chases” storms for his local weather channel: what’s your favorite kind of storm?

His reply: ‘the kind where no one dies.’

Well said!... 

Photography of Victoria Elizabeth by Gerald Tookes, Runway 7, NYFW: 9/24 

Storms get a lot of attention in our media when we talk about climate change. It's a lot bigger than them. The concrete industry is also a major contributor (even if we don’t hear about it as often). It symbolizes the concrete jungle, urban sprawl, and the future ahead if we don’t change. 

Do we want rainbows or tornados?...

Sustainable fashion is a major challenge of our generation and requires innovation and creativity solutions. We wanted to create fashion that celebrates nature and art. Fashion that’s mindful of the environment, reduces impact, and inspires change. 

It started with rain: a tribute to life in the Pacific Northwest. 

Photography of April Jordan, Runway 7, NYFW: 9/24

Our rainstorm tunic has a Monet feel with a fitted cord belt. The shape fits a range of bodies making it a versatile, adjustable piece. It's paired with “concrete” metallic jeans: where eco fashion meets rock and roll.     

I was lightning before the thunder…

It’s electric, like an epiphany… a lightning bolt moment. Change. 

Eureka!

Our thunderstorm dress has nature photography printed on both sides. Each yard of fabric is made from 13 recycled plastic bottles. We also love it because it’s so soft, comfortable, and fits like a glove. 

Photography of Jiaqi Chen by Melissa Lully, Broken Mirror Beauty  

For our tornado, we created two versions. One is literal—a purple tornado print dress created with the same shape and fabric as our thunderstorm dress.  

The second is more interpretive and mysterious. We created an asymmetrical wrap dress with sustainable crushed velvet as the base of our tornado with a thick shoulder wrap top. 

We added different dark blues to create a rouching, funnel shape through the body. The waist wrap ties it all together. It wraps around three times like a twister and fits every body type. 

 Photography of Pao Coronel, Runway 7, NYFW: Sept, 9/24