Cincinnati Fashion Designer and ‘Project Runway’ Star Tessa Clark to Be Featured on New Reality TV Show

Tessa ClarkPhoto: Presented by Tessa Clark

Area vogue designer and 2019 Challenge Runway contestant Tessa Clark is staying highlighted on a new reside fact Tv set show called The Collective, which debuts this summer time in Cincinnati. The Collective — per its description — is a “new exhibit about staging multi-metropolis, substantial-tech manner weeks with a decide on team of superstar designers from the most significant manner actuality displays.” 

Unlike Undertaking Runway, The Collective is not meant to be a competitors show alternatively, it is meant to showcase manner, collaboration and resourceful networks inside every metropolis. The show brings together a team of 15 movie star designers from a range of manner competitors exhibits. Designers place their imaginative brains jointly to craft an practical experience that celebrates range and creative imagination, when concurrently demonstrating their skills and models. The very same 15 designers will travel from town to town, large or tiny, bringing vogue with them to each. Each end will also highlight little companies and indie trend labels hit challenging by the pandemic. 

“The Collective is a are living exhibit, making it the to start with of its sort to unfold throughout social media,” says Clark. “In contrast to other actuality Tv exhibits that contain competitions, eliminations and pitting contestants from each individual other, The Collective will function none of that. With earlier fact Tv set exhibits that (the other designers and I) have been on, we never definitely have the capability to make our have narrative. The Collective is hoping to improve that.”

The to start with livestream debuts 9 a.m.-midday on July 29 and capabilities the designers conference their area suit products in Cincinnati. Subsequent streams include alteration sessions at Sew Valley in the West Close, a launch celebration, two manner displays, a trunk show and a wrap occasion. Some episodes will also have an in-person occasion — including the two style demonstrates on July 31 and Aug. 1 — and both equally the streams and true events have to have tickets. (Get pricing and tickets at thecollectivefashionshow.com/tickets.)

Clark is viewing The Collective type of like a property enhancement exhibit.

“You really see the fact of what items are — there is no winner or loser. It’s just the actuality of what is happening and what goes on guiding the scenes of producing a collection and putting on a massive fashion exhibit,” she claims. “It’s heading to display all the elements of it, among the versions, the designers, the cities. Of study course there will be some drama, but that is all the normal anxiety that goes on backstage and in creating a assortment.”

The strategy for the present begun in Oct 2020. The Collective co-producers Amy Bond and her husband Angelo La Pietra — who ended up on Challenge Runway seasons 17 and 16, respectively — were in town operating with a regional modeling company and started exploring Cincinnati. After stumbling into HOMAGE in In excess of-the-Rhine, the pair uncovered out about Undertaking Runway alum Clark correct next door at high-conclude womenswear boutique Idlewild.

Clark, who is also the designer powering luxury women’s line Grind and Glaze, was likely about her standard working day taking care of Idlewild when the producers created their way in. 

“(Bond and La Pietra) uncovered to actually appreciate the metropolis and sort of offering this opportunity to a scaled-down town and to these styles that are in the metropolis, since it is harder for designers and types to get national recognition when they’re dependent in Midwest,” Clark claims.

Bond and her spouse observed the likelihood to blend the creativeness of movie star and local designers to “build collective vitality in lesser cities, like Cincinnati.”

The show’s co-hosts include things like Bond manner design Laura Kirkpatrick-Cianciolo, who currently life in Cincinnati and was a contestant on America’s Upcoming Best Design and Ty Hunter, a superstar stylist with clients like Beyoncé and Billy Porter.

“I’m just so excited that Ty Hunter is 1 of the co-hosts,” suggests Clark. “He’s just all about performing alongside one another and collaboration and peace, adore and pleasure. Which is what Amy retains stating — she’s like, ‘That’s what the show’s about: peace, really like and contentment and style and just putting on a enjoyment time for admirers and locals and designers.’”

As with everything these days, COVID will make an physical appearance.

“The initial episode is about the designers rising out of the isolation of 2020, coming collectively to showcase their types and meet admirers by way of live functions streamed throughout the globe” claims Bond in the press launch.  

In addition to episodes streaming reside, The Collective is difficult one more aspect of standard reality Tv set.

“Unless you gained a challenge or you won the complete whole competitors, the designers (from actuality Tv reveals) never get paid everything. By means of The Collective, we all will make a proportion of all ticket product sales,” states Clark.

To study a lot more about the designers, gatherings and to obtain tickets, go to thecollectivefashionshow.com.

Clark’s model Grind and Glaze is produced by Sew Valley, a sustainable, tiny-batch apparel maker situated in Cincinnati’s West Conclusion. Grind and Glaze is an homage to Clark’s rural roots, rising up with a ceramicist and miller for moms and dads. Clark usually takes traditional pieces, like the apron, and transforms them into sustainably manufactured garments things.