Photo-Illustration: The Cut; Photos: Isidore Montag/Imaxtree Backstage, after Elena Velez’s first runway show, her friend’s dad is showing me a photo of her first-ever design: a piece of an olive green blazer held on the body using a metal corset, exposing half of a naked side. The piece showcases a sexual tension in Velez’s designs, one that was on full display on Friday night.
You’ve done a handful of presentations, but tonight was the runway debut. I know you do a lot of your work in Milwaukee, your hometown. Why did you decide to show in New York? You once said, “This current industry is in such an unhealthy state of transition in so many different ways. I don’t aspire to any of that.” What does a healthy fashion industry look like to you?
For the first time ever, your clothes will be shoppable at Ssense, whereas before they were just made exclusively for collections and VIP clients like Solange and Rosalia. Did that change the way you designed it?