Fashion isn’t as glamorous as it appears.
The looks are fresh, the models are appealing, and lights pop with every pic, but there are the sketches and scribbles and finding the fabric and sewing the seams – not to mention the time and investment – to consider.
Emily Rouse should know, too. The pandemic kept her home from New York City in March 2020 after she’d climbed Big Apple ladders in the fashion business for four years. Impatient and undeterred, she continued to develop her “House of Rouse” design collection and company and then created the “Edgington Studio” in Woodsdale so she could manufacture her designs and those of her clients.
Rouse’s story is one of courage and growth and victory, and after the Linsly alum (2012) joined forces with ladies Lisa Bronchik and Spencer Porter to make the inaugural Wheeling Fashion Week come to life, she’s chalked up yet another expressive success.
Now that a week has passed, Emily offers LEDE News readers these thoughts and reflections.
Did Wheeling’s first-ever fashion week meet your expectations?
Wheeling’s first-ever fashion week exceeded my expectations by far! Going into this, I was truly hoping for the best, but did not know what to expect for community interest. Fashion shows are a big part of my work, so I’ve been a part of them in NYC and around the region for several years but bringing the concept to an area that wasn’t familiar with Fashion Week, I was expecting people to be rather hesitant about getting involved.
It truly turned out to be the opposite.
As soon as we announced that Wheeling Fashion Week was happening, many people reached out to get involved in any way that they could contribute. Our runway lineup represented the area’s creativity and craftsmanship beautifully.
Working alongside Spencer Porter and Lisa Bronchik, we knew that we needed to represent our capabilities well. As we have been gathering feedback from ticket holders, sponsors, and participants, it has truly been amazing to hear how happy people were with what we created.
There’s always room for improvement, but it feels really good to be hearing that we also exceeded the community’s expectations.
How do you plan to add to the atmosphere of the actual runway show?
It is really interesting to think about the atmosphere of the runway show and this is something you and I talked about off-air in between radio segments (on “Novotney Now” on River Talk 100.1/100.9FM) comparing fashion shows and sports games. This was the first time I’ve ever planned an event of this caliber and creating an atmosphere to welcome 153 ticket holders was very new to me.
The team at Waterfront Hall was so helpful in guiding us through the process and pointing out certain things we should consider when planning.
Walking in on the red carpet provided by The Flooring Center set the tone as ticket holders entered the event. We had a live painting by Mindi Yarbrough, light fare by Paleonardo’s, a toast, and music at the VIP cocktail hour that created a “lounge” feel which then transformed into very upbeat music when the models hit the runway. The seating was all numbered and the natural light with the addition of the lighting up the walls also contributed to the mood.
I’m really pleased with our volunteers who assisted with check-in and showing ticket holders to their seat. With all of this being said, I’m very proud of the ambience and foundation we created.
For next year, I’d like to dive deeper into these aspects. I’m thinking – how can we be more thorough with the start-to-finish experience and increase our engagement with the community?
Define “fashion” as far as the city of Wheeling is concerned.
One of my favorite things about fashion shows is how it can uniquely reflect the fashion of that area. New York Fashion Week is not the same as Columbus Fashion Week, which is not the same as Wheeling Fashion Week, and that’s great.
This wasn’t about copying what they are doing in other cities but about taking the idea and making it Wheeling’s own. So, I would say fashion in Wheeling is eclectic. You’ll see a mix of generations pulling their style together from past experiences and our area’s history. As we showcased on our runway, we have local stores that keep Wheeling’s history alive selling vintage t-shirts.
We also have so many people that had moved away and returned back home to Wheeling, bringing the style from those other cities with them. It was a lot of fun during Fashion Week to meet new people, hear about their favorite piece in the closet, and how they like to style the outfits in new ways using pieces they have had for a long time.
How can you recruit more manufacturing to Wheeling?
I’m always so excited to talk about Wheeling’s history of garment manufacturing and being a small part in reviving it. I think more manufacturing will come as the workforce and demand is developed.
One thing I love about my work at Edgington Studio is that we can make clothing for clients anywhere in the country. We do virtual meetings and ship the pieces back and forth, which allows us to serve a very large population while enjoying the low cost and high quality of living being situated in Wheeling. So, the demand can be pulled from anywhere with the type of work we are doing.
It is a challenge to develop the workforce, though. Home Economics was the chance that a lot of people had to get to experience using a sewing machine, and as that has been removed from schools, so has the opportunity to try out the skill set. Edgington Studio has had to take on a great deal of work in order to prepare aspiring sewists for a career in apparel manufacturing.
We worked with the Department of Labor to develop a certified apprenticeship program to become an Apparel Production Specialist. We also teach sewing classes for those interested in learning some basic skills. We are always so happy with people’s interest in learning, but the pathway had to be built from the ground up.
You have said a second annual Fashion Week will happen. Why?
Given the incredible number of positive responses to our inaugural event, the demand is there to do another Wheeling Fashion Week next year!
We are in the process of debriefing from this year and gathering feedback to be incorporated for next year, so more details to come on this. It was just so encouraging to read the stories right before the show that said that this was all more than fashion; it’s about creating something that encourages people to stay in Wheeling and support economic development in the area.
And that’s momentum that you have to keep growing.
