Venny Etienne at F.I.G., where he launched a new program that highlights local fashion designers.
(Photo by Arnold Wayne Jones)
‘Project Runway’ alum Venny Etienne continues his goal of fashion domination with a runway show at New York Fashion Week
ARNOLD WAYNE JONES | Executive Editor
jones@dallasvoice.com
It has been almost a year since Dallas designer Venny Etienne made national waves as one of the contestants on the previous season of Project Runway — even longer since he filmed it — but the experience has already shown the power of exposure … and the power that comes from being talented.
“I picked up Niecy Nash as a client,” he says humbly but happily. “I’ve done like three [red carpet looks] for her. That’s pretty amazing. I got her because [her stylist] saw how well I worked with curvy women. And a couple of other [clients] reached out to me last year for things they will need this year.”
All good news. But there’s still the hustle.
“It’s about what you do with the opportunity. Regardless of where we placed, we just have to go hard. Being on Project Runway means when you knock, they have to open the door and listen to what you have to say,” he says.
Etienne and his models right after his runway show at New York Fashion Week. (Photo courtesy Nyki Elle)
Since the series ended last summer, he’s been flown around the country to do speaking engagements and has even received recognition from a progressive church in Atlanta. (“That was very special because they honored many celebrities and I was one! And it’s not like I won the show or anything.”)
But the fashion world is still something of a waiting game… or rather, a get-up-early-bust-your-hump-and-outdo-everyone-to-make-your-future-happen kinda game. And it’s one Etienne is playing.
“I’ve planted a lot of seeds I’m looking to see grow in the near future to where designing is what I am doing full time,” he says. And chief among those now? The recent invitation extended to Etienne and his label, LeVenity, by Essence magazine to design a collection for New York Fashion Week.
The day we first talked, his show was still about a month out, and if he was nervous, he didn’t show it.
“Literally once I’m done here, I’ll go back with my interns and seamstresses to sew. It’s all-hands-on-deck time.”
The opportunity came suddenly, but he couldn’t turn it down.
“We were expecting to do 30 looks for a Dallas show in April, but I had to put that on hold. Now I have to do 25 looks for a show in February. I’ve never done one collection of that many looks, so it’s exciting. I really can’t wait to show everyone my new collection,” he says of the Fall/Winter looks he’s been working on since August. “It’s a whole new direction. This particular collection, I was inspired by my Caribbean roots and where I grew up in Brooklyn. I normally do just a touch of color but am pulling away and doing some prints. Being on the show taught me to be more disciplined and think more outside the box.”
New York Fashion Week will be a full runway show with celebrities, press, buyers. And just connecting with the industry movers and shakers makes it worth all the effort, he says. “It’s where they take you more seriously, whereas before I was just a local Dallas designer.”
Well, maybe not “just.” Because one thing is readily apparent: Dallas continues to be a hub of talent for the fashion industry. It’s what led the Fashion Industry Gallery to seek out Etienne to launch a new program highlighting local and regional designers with national appeal.
“Launching our Featured Designer program with Levenity was the perfect fit,” says Lisa Petty, director of marketing and trade shows for F.I.G… and a fan of Etienne. “Venny embodies the unique gifts, positive outlook and perseverance that are hallmarks of Texas-based talent.”
“In the mix of me finding out about NYFW, Lisa asked me to meet with the CEO of F.I.G. and I said. ‘Are you kidding me?’” Etienne says of the offer. “People from L.A., New York, come in for this. There’s a lot of homegrown talent [in Texas] so it’s nice that they started with me — for them to even think of me? I’m honored.”
The honors, though, have kept coming. Right after his Fashion Week runway show, Forbes magazine published an article naming the top five stand-out shows; LeVenity was one of the five. Etienne has already had stylists reach out about obtaining some of the looks for their clients.
“It was crazy… in a good way,” Etienne says after the fact. “I was using every single minute I had — it was like being on Project Runway again. Showing my collection in the same caliber [as other famous designers] felt surreal. Just the adrenaline of it all!”
The next step will be to have the looks photographed, to arrange an editorial campaign and then, of course, to hustle. Meanwhile, Etienne has already started working on his next collection — spring looks which he will debut in Dallas in September to coincide with New York Fashion Week… meaning North Texans will get the first glimpse at his talents then.
Texas may not be New York, but we clearly appreciate fashion.
You can keep up with Etienne’s fashions at Levenity.com.
F.I.G. will hold additional markets, each featuring a different designer, on March 25–27, June 24–26, Aug. 26–28 and Oct. 21–23.