Kid & Teens Night at Denver Fashion Week Elevates and Expands Childrens Wear – 303 Magazine

When one thinks of fashion week, one may not envision an eight-year-old walking and dancing down the runway. But, night two, kids and teens night of Denver Fashion Week (DFW) was just that and more. Activewear, accessible inclusive kids apparel, and the narrative of growing up told through clothing are just some of the collections that graced the catwalk, bringing some edge to the stereotypical kids and teens shows. 

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Brands Skye Aire, Dragonwing, Lion + Owl, Peach & Penny, Garb, Factory Fashion and SumOne showcased collections on Nov. 10 for DFW, some premiering their lines for the first time. The show opened with hosts 9News Anchor Sam Schacher and her daughter Sophie, wearing a beautiful pink and blue princess gown by Peach & Penny. Starting by bringing childlike excitement to the crowd, Cherry Creek Dance performed a holiday-filled, festive piece. 

Skye Aire by Skye Barker Maa

The lights dimmed, and three models opened the show with dramatic silhouettes both in shadow and shape. Walking to Madonna’s “Vogue,” the first three models struck various poses accentuating the clothing.

Skye Barker Maa, of Skye Aire, emphasized the use of circular, avant-garde tops, paired with tulle and satin garments. With all of the models coming out all at once, black and white motifs with accents of red came together in this collection for an elevated, but age-appropriate, film noir aesthetic. Think: rose appliques, piano pleated full-length skirts, and the occasional bubble hem or polka-dot to keep it fun. Headwear is also a staple for Skye Aire with the occasional chic headscarf, sun hat, or pleated headpiece complementing the garments. 

“Especially for the teens and older tweens, they’re looking to stretch. With designers, there’s kids’ clothing, and then there’s, “Oh you can be naked on the runway” and there’s not a lot of opportunity to get a little edgier and explore, to still be age-appropriate but feel like you’re evolving,” Barker Maa said. “So I try to give them an opportunity to evolve.” 

Dragonwing

To the booming bass of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” Dragonwing’s collection brought some alternative edge to the traditional children’s activewear line. Styled with black leather jackets, lace-up biker boots, and smokey eye makeup, kids and teens adorned the runway with just the right amount of attitude–preppy but sassy. Designer Allison Herman highlighted various skirt styles, from fun pointed hems and black fringe tasseled, flapper-style skirts.

Herman’s original inspiration for starting Dragonwing was to create functional athletic wear for girls, but this collection brought something more. The juxtapositions of classic spring colors as metallics, with sleek ponytails and alternative styling displayed that activewear can be worn for a variety of occasions, while still allowing kids to be comfortable, playful, and stylish. 

Lion + Owl 

At first glance, the Lion + Owl collection was fairly simple but is much more than meets the eye. With two different colorways of pinks and fuchsias and blues and yellows, the classic, comfort-fit sweat suits were decorated with an overlaying wavy print. Jeff Bender, Designer and Founder of Lion + Owl described that the inspiration behind the collection has a much deeper impact. 

“All of our clothes are sensory-friendly clothing for autistic or neurodivergent children, along with nonbinary and transgender kids,” Bender said. “Everything we make is designed to serve a purpose,”

The clothing emphasizes no itchy internal tags, privacy cuts, soft seams, motivational messaging on the inside, and fidget designs meant to be comforting and stimulating to the touch. Despite this being Bender’s first time showcasing Lion + Owl as the company was founded in 2024, the audience could’ve never guessed.

The kids walked with ease and confidence in the collection, with some models dancing, running, and doing high kicks at the end of the runway. The finale flood walk brought an extra heart-warming touch to the collection, including all of the children posing together and having Jeff and his daughter pose together. 

Peach & Penny

Switching gears from heartfelt accessibility to high fashion, Peach & Penny opened with a contemporary ballet dance. The dancers were wearing an all-white ensemble with tutus for a graceful Swan-Lake-esque performance, perfectly transitioning into a nontraditional, but refreshing runway format. Three models opened the show in pieces reminiscent of ballet or a faraway fantasy world.

The collection included outfits that can be worn at any age, allowing children the room and opportunity to participate in the modern style zeitgeist. V-corseted satin tops and various-length tulle skirts were embellished with diamond details, snowflake appliques, and bow ribbons on the straps, doubling as trendy and adjustable details.

Pale hues of blue, lilac, white and blush were seen throughout the collection, adding to the dreamy feeling of the garments. The show closed with an on-brand, contemporary dance, backed by a soft instrumental piano piece. The dancer wore a blue, embellished dress that flowed through the air naturally with her spins and turns. 

Garb

Garb, the USGA and PGA of America’s first choice in kid’s golf apparel, brought their A-game to the catwalk in true smart-athleisure fashion. Founded in 1996 by Allison Herman, the show opened with a Charli XCX song warming up the crowd, and timeless pieces such as windbreakers, tennis skirts and polo shirts met the runway with smiles. In playful colors including lilac, teal, yellow, pink and green, garments were paired with white sneakers and exuded the look of old money without the controversy –— think lively and cohesive styles.

Garb may be a golf brand, but brought looks that can be worn on or off the green, including a girl wearing a full cheerleader ensemble playing into the preppy persona. Per the company’s website, they create clothing designed for comfort, performance and style, giving kids a brand to call their own. 

Factory Fashion x Isabella Joy Thallas Foundation 

Factory Fashion, a design workshop and sewing school for all ages founded by Skye Barker Maa, teamed up with the Isabella Joy Thallas Foundation to provide kids the space to create their own ensembles from start to finish. Opening with the nostalgic and empowering “Black Sheep” by Metric looks ranged from dramatic avant-garde satin gowns to classic pleated skirts, from fur coats to alternative all-denim ensembles. Comparable color palettes of navy blues, whites, and blacks can be seen throughout, with mixed textiles and styling. 

The collaborative partner for this kids and teens collection, Isabella Joy Foundation, was founded in honor of Isabella Joy who was a victim of gun violence in 2020. Joy was a model and budding fashion designer, so their goal is to, “give back through art, kindness, and fashion” and, “ignite a movement toward a more compassionate, vibrant community” according to the Foundation’s website. 

READ: Isabella Joy Thallas Foundation Hosts Second Fashion Show at Wings Over the Rockies

“Their focus is on trying to provide opportunities, and I’m also an educator through Factory Fashion and as an adjunct professor at Rocky Mountain College of Art Design and Fashion Design,” Maa said. “There’s not a scholarship for fashion in the metro area, there might not even be one in the region. It’s a budding industry here, it’s evolving it’s growing, and getting better. So I told the Foundation, “However you want to honor that legacy, I want to volunteer and help.”” 

Part of honoring that legacy was helping students create this collection together, and providing scholarships to four students, which Maa matched and awarded scholarships to four more students. Together, through recognizing Bella’s absence and supporting the budding industry, this collection showcased resilience, style, power, and community through clothing, a powerful tool kids and teens get to exercise at Factory Fashion. 

Factory Fashion by Skye Baker Maa

Skye Barker Maa does it all, this time with a collection influenced by prom and formal wear. A sustainable and fully upcycled designer, Barker Maa brought a collection for boys and girls alike to the stage, with velvet blazers, layered dresses, reworked hems, and an overall nostalgic feeling and look. 

“I already collect wedding dresses from thrift stores and I dye them, rip them apart, and I do all sorts of stuff all the time, then I started collecting prom dresses so it was easy,” Barker Maa said about the design process for this collection.

Dresses showcased utilized floral appliques on the bust and as statement headpieces, one look including a headpiece and sash combination, decorated completely with blush pink roses and paired with a white mid-length flowy dress. Others have asymmetrical hemlines, bejeweled and oversized headbands, and corsets paired over traditional style gowns. A personal favorite included a purple metallic mid-length dress with oversized bows on each strap, giving an 80s, “13 Going on 30” feel to it. Some dresses and tulle skirts were even styled with blazers, cleverly and stylishly mixing the masculine and feminine formal wear. 

“The kids’ energy is really good, I love this show,” Maa said when describing her post-show feelings. “It’s all lightning bolts, everything I do is so different. The only thing similar is that I’m weaving through it all.” 

Sum One by Summer Edwards

Closing the show was Summer Edwards’ debut at DFW under the brand name, Sum One. This kids and teens collection feels sophisticated yet whimsical, fantastical, and reminiscent but serendipitous. The collection tells the story of growing up through clothes and a performative runway experience. Starting with dresses, all-over floral appliques, white stockings like the ones your mom might’ve made you wear growing up, and imaginative white makeup with florals and pearl decals, the models hold props like sun umbrellas, throwing paper airplanes and passing out flowers to the audience.

Gradually, the ensembles transition into more corporate office wear, with fewer smiles and less color.  Flowy sheer ascots turn to straight black ties, the music transitions into a moody Lana Del Rey song with a model wearing a deep blue tweed set and pearls. The final model, a girl in true office siren attire, holds a trash can as an accessory and throws away the paper airplanes that were previously thrown with wonder. 

“My collection was a representation of how society influences us as we get older and our identity and our playfulness can get suppressed by increased responsibility,” Edwards said. “My hope is that my collection can be a reminder that we have an inner child within us no matter our age.” 

The power play and societal dynamics of growing up are shown through the final model’s stance, posing with her foot on top of the garbage can full of the child’s paper airplanes. 

The show closed out with a cheery and upbeat kids and teens, Cherry Creek dance performance. Dancers of various ages sashayed across the runway wearing red long-sleeve tops, white pants, and black jackets tied around their waists. Much like the rest of the kids’ show, the energy was high and gave the audience a fresh outlook on what a kids and teens’ fashion show can entail. 

Photos by Weston Mosburg

Denver Fashion Week continues November 12-17 at The Brighton, get your tickets here.