A Little Rock museum morphed into a runway as models strutted, swayed and sashayed in apparel conceived by Arkansas-based black designers.
The fashion show, held Friday night at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 501 W. Ninth St., was a first for the museum, Director Christina Shutt said.
At first, Shutt worried that people might not go for the idea. Come Friday, the museum's exhibit halls were lined with fashion enthusiasts, young and old.
Last year, the center and the Department of Arkansas Heritage, which supports the center, launched the Arkansas Made, Black Crafted initiative, Shutt said. The museum runs workshops and sells products like jewelry and greeting cards made by black Arkansans.
"The whole program is really about connecting African-American makers with buyers," Shutt said.
At Friday night's fashion show, four central Arkansas designers and business owners showcased their clothing and accessories. Vendors also sold artwork, trinkets, pillows, garments and beaded jewelry.
One vendor, Kristena Witherspoon, said she began to sew as a teenager at Little Rock Central High School.
Witherspoon, dressed in all black, said she likes creating bright fabric earrings and clutches to "funk it up" a little bit.
Buying locally made products resonated with Darlene Montgomery, a former school administrator who snagged a seat in the front row.
By purchasing from small-scale sellers, "we feed the economy," Montgomery said.
Still, Montgomery added, she's retired.
"So I shop everywhere," she joked.
Models sported clothing and jewelry from Phoenix-Ism, Desirene Afrik, 1297 Kustoms LLC and designer Korto Momolu.
Temeka "Phoe Nix" Smith, the creator of Phoenix-Ism, styled her models in copper jewelry, chains, belts and even a bra. Intertwined with the wire were quartz crystals mined in Arkansas.
Irene Chedjieu is the Cameroon-born business owner behind Desirene Afrik, a Little Rock store at 5959 H. St. that sells dashikis, Kente bags, and other imported clothing and home decor.
Chedjieu said in an interview last week that she started the business to support her family when her husband suffered a spine injury.
Chedjieu's models wore cobalt, canary yellow and purple printed dresses, with their hair swept up in head wraps. Some women swung woven baskets while smiling through delicate face paint.
Jerald Mitchell, the Little Rock man behind 1297 Kustoms LLC, said he's been sketching sweatshirts and sneakers since elementary school.
Mitchell said his original fashion inspiration was P. Diddy, also known as Puff Daddy, also known as Sean Combs, a rapper and entrepreneur.
Mitchell taught himself to sew so he could construct custom outerwear and, more recently, suits. His models wore denim jackets and sweatshirts with cartoon hearts and shark teeth.
One garment read, "Eat Your Heart Out."
"I do each piece one by one," Mitchell said. He takes blazers apart to learn their stitching, like a clockmaker might deconstruct a watch to learn its gears.
Momolu, who closed the show, was the most anticipated designer.
Momolu has lived in Little Rock for the past 18 years. In 2008, she appeared on the fifth season of Project Runway, Bravo's long-running fashion design competition show.
After a second-place finish, Momolu designed for Miss Universe 2011 Leila Lopes and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and made uniforms for the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, according to her website.
Momolu said she made her new "Afro-punk" collection specifically for Friday's show. The clothing blended draped, loose-fitting tops with sequined accents.
"It's comfortable chic, but it's not traditional African clothes," Momolu said in a phone interview.
She constructed each necklace, blouse and dress herself.
"If anyone ever gets anything from me, my hands actually touched it," Momolu said.
Momolu, who lives with her husband and two children, said she's grateful to be embraced by her adopted state.
"I'm here until you guys kick me out," she said.
And Arkansas has filtered into her style, which Momolu said emphasizes comfort.
"I wear a lot more jeans now than I ever did in my life," she said.
For Stephanie Hobbs, Friday fueled her already existing passion for Momolu's designs. Hobbs said she traveled to New York City in September for its famed Fashion Week just to see Momolu's collection.
"She puts a little bling in just about everything," Hobbs said while scrolling through her Instagram feed to show off videos she recorded of Momolu's models.
Hobbs described her personal style in similar terms as Momolu: chic and sporty.
Though when Hobbs gets all dolled up, there's no comparable feeling, she said.
"You can't tell me nothing when I'm really dressed up," Hobbs said.
"You can't tell me nothing," she repeated. "I'm cute."
Metro on 12/03/2017