Kokomo designer will show off work before heading to NY Fashion Week

Chardonnay Rose Clark has been busy since debuting her fashion brand NO BiAS with a show at Indiana University Kokomo in April last year. She’s now set to show off her handmade clothes during New York Fashion Week.

“You never really think you’re going to actually make your dream come true,” Clark said, later adding, “You never feel ready.”

Hoping to bring Kokomo residents into the fold before her New York debut, the designer has put together another local fashion show, set for July 26.

During the local event, Clark will show off four of the eight dresses she plans to display during fashion week. The dresses were custom made and, keeping with the foundation of the brand, were made with donated fabric headed for landfills.

The dresses were made from items like tablecloths, curtains and drapery, Clark explained. She called the materials “perfect.”

The designer explained the local show is meant to feel like a museum. Models wearing the couture gowns will hold statuesque poses instead of walking down a runway. Local artists will also have their work on display.

Taking a bit of a step away from last year’s fashion show, which primarily featured streetwear, Clark explained the upcoming show is titled “Introducing Couture” because she wants to give NO BiAS another introduction to show the brand doesn’t solely create streetwear.

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Fashion designer and IUK senior Chardonnay Rose Clark’s No BiAS fashion show was held April 15, 2023, in IU Kokomo’s courtyard.

That being said, Clark pointed out the brand does still sell streetwear. She added the more casual clothes rolling out have expanded sizes and color pallets.

“Ever since I was little, I was always designing dresses. I just got really into streetwear when I was a young adult,” Clark said. She later added, “I like how weird it is. … It’s crazy in a good way and I just want to be surrounded by it. There’s none of that here, so I figured if I made it, then I can be surrounded by it.”

The show will open to the public at 5:30 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction and music at The Hobson, 110 N. Washington St.

A live auction will follow, with things like new NO BiAS pieces, local art, Indianapolis Colts merchandise and AMC gift cards on the chopping block.

Proceeds will predominantly help Clark offset expenses for the New York Fashion Week trip.

However, funds will also help the designer cover expenses in a partnership with the Kokomo Rescue Mission. Since NO BiAS receives a hefty amount of used fabric, some of which can’t be repurposed into clothes, the brand will use the scraps to make multi-functional pillows that will be distributed to people moving out of the shelter.

PHOTOS: NO BiAS fashion show

Fashion designer and IUK senior Chardonnay Rose Clark's No BiAS fashion show was held in IU Kokomo's courtyard on Saturday, April 15. About 30 of her handmade pieces were showcased. Clark regularly finds discarded clothes at places such as Goodwill and Grace Memorial Church and enjoys upcycling them, the practice of repurposing materials to create a new garment.

The New York show will be held Sept. 10 on a Manhattan rooftop. Last year, the same show reached the eyes of approximately 16 million viewers.

“I’m really excited for the expansion,” Clark said. “I used to be afraid of that because I was afraid if too many people saw it and they liked it, I wouldn’t have the resources to do it. But I think being afraid only keeps me held back, so I’m just going to do it anyway.”

The designer explained the dresses are partially inspired by sculptures, and designers like LaQuan Smith, with form-fitting cuts of fabric and metallic materials that invoke a sense of futurism.

“I wanted to incorporate that with also just keeping it true to myself and working within my limitations of being sustainable,” Clark said. “I’m not going to make it sound like it’s easy, it’s really hard to be sustainable.”

Since all of the company’s fabric is donated, she explained, a mistake while trimming cloth can translate to a redesigned dress.

“It’s morphed into just doing the best I can with what I’ve got. And with that, we still created some really killer pieces,” Clark said.