“Cheesehead” has probably appeared in Vogue a pretty limited amount of times over the course of the so-called fashion Bible’s reign; however, a moment in September 2019 gave the publication reason to expand its vocabulary.

The Spring 2020 ready-to-wear collection for Virgil Abloh’s high-end streetwear label, Off-White, served as an “ironic homage,” according to the fashion show’s notes, to Abloh’s alma mater — UW-Madison. A repetitive Swiss-cheese-like hole motif and patterns resembling the coat of a spotted cow characterized the line of cargo pants, track suits, chunky boots and bags. The tribute to the dairy state was literal and prevalent enough for “Wisconsin” and famous supermodel “Gigi Hadid” to be uttered (or should I say, uddered?) within mere sentences of one another. 

While Wisconsin may be better known for its leading agriculture, livestock and transportation machinery industries, it also serves as the launchpad, home and inspiration to designers in tenacious pursuit of success in the multibillion dollar global fashion industry. For some hopeful fashion professionals, Wisconsin is a classroom from which they plan to graduate; but for others, it’s the focal point of their fashion blueprint. 

In fashion in Milwaukee

The industrial history of Milwaukee was on display as attendees approached the site of the city’s fifth annual fashion week, held on a dimly lit street lined with old-looking brick buildings. The event’s opening night in October was undetectable from the street, as the nondescript, unmarked building blended in among the rest of its counterparts. Once visitors made their way past the entrance, the interior stood in bright white juxtaposition to its curb appeal. The backdrop to Milwaukee Fashion Week was decorated and set up like a wedding Pinterest board come to life. The light and airy room was filled with gold Chiavari silhouette chairs, and the exposed industrial piping on the ceilings was offset by greenery mounted on the white cinder-block walls. 

Adding color to the space, evidently, was left to the designers and crowd. 

As the room filled up, the picture of Milwaukee’s fashion scene was slowly painted — stroke by unprecedented stroke. In part, the room looked like a family gathering — a wedding, perhaps — of a very stereotypical, white Wisconsinite family: mothers in modest chunky sweaters trying to take selfies with reluctant daughters in blouses and jeans, husbands and wives in their just-came-from-work-attire searching the room for a pair of empty seats, and crying babies in the arms of their grandmothers being rocked near the bathroom. 

Standing in stark contrast to the sea of sensible footwear, some entered the room with a sense of confidence and belonging demonstrated by their outfit choices. Those looking the part of an archetypical fashionable crowd were dressed in head-to-toe black, accessorized by enigmatic vibes of aspirational cool.

Those daring to make a statement dressed in everything from blue fur coats and sequin jackets to full cheetah print ensembles and hair tied up with chopsticks, accessorized by sunglasses that would fit in a ’90s Jennifer Lopez music video and hoop earrings just grazing the tops of collar bones. When the event’s emcee later said, “Yes to drama, yes to glamour,” she captured the sentiment of half the crowd. 

“Glamourous” wasn’t necessarily top of mind for show attendee Kimberly Green when she remarked that the collection of show-goers seemed “daytime-y.” Green, a Milwaukee-based, blue-haired, ex-biology teacher turned full-time fashion blogger and designer, wore a handmade rainbow jacket that sparkled under the bright lights — which remained on for the duration of the entire show. 

While Green said she came to Milwaukee Fashion Week’s opening night to support and see the work of local designers, social media influencer Pamela Kieck said she looked forward to the area’s small fashion community coming together. 

For Kieck, who hosted the second night of the fashion week event, Wisconsin has always been home, except for the brief time she worked in a corporate position in Minneapolis. She says isolation and boredom became the match to her creative flame and inspired her to take the opportunity to start her own blog, itspamelakieck.com. After taking the plunge to move back to Milwaukee and work on her blog full time, Kieck was one of the first fashion influencers in the area. 

“Now [Milwaukee’s fashion scene is] growing a lot, and we’re all very close knit and support each other,” she says, attributing that to the nature of pursuing the practice of fashion blogging in a city like Milwaukee. 

Designs from local talent satisfied a wide range in fashion appetites. The opening night featured looks from Anke Wonder, who veered toward the eclectic side. During the showing for this collection, models wore faux bird nests and feathers atop heads of braided hair. One male model carried a very realistic fake parrot in the crux of his arm as he marched down the runway in pastel blue shorts, paired with a button-down shirt made from busy patterned fabric in Mardi Gras colors. Looks curated by GG Collections decorated models’ bodies in the most boldly ambitious ways — tiger prints, bright colors, capes and headdresses. There was also a collection presented by Femme Alter Ego — a line of lingerie for whom the models essentially stripped down to strut in, leaving little enough to the imagination that a concerned woman placed a hand over their watching partners’ eyes.

It appeared as though the Milwaukee fashion scene and the talent displayed on the runway was somewhat of a microcosm of the fashion industry as a whole — encompassing various, polarizing tastes.