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Mar 4, 2006 9:38 am US/Central
Runways In Fashion At Downtown Nightclubs
by Jason DeRusha
Minneapolis (WCCO) ―
Models and runways are bringing fashion to an unorthodox place in downtown Minneapolis.
At many nightclubs, including Bar Fly nightclub, fashion is the name of the game.
"I love it," said Jon Merz, general manager of Bar Fly. "It's putting us on the map downtown."
It seems that every weekend, there is another fashion show at the clubs, but for local designers who create the wearable pieces of art, it is about more than getting people to fill a nightclub.
"It's so awesome," said designer Arwyn Birch. "Me personally, it's just a dream come true."
Birch used to design aprons but now she is designing dresses and the latest fashions.
All of the designers in the shows are from the Twin Cities, which is not a place most think of as a fashion hotbed.
"I think we're a hidden jewel there," Birch said. "I don't know, I think that the cold weather just breeds creativity and we all sit around thinking of things to do with the time when we can't go outside."
The creativity is paying off. Designers get an audience and club owners get customers.
A new local fashion magazine, FAME Digest, is pushing the trend. Fashion shows can be found at Bar Fly almost every Saturday night. Some of the designers featured in the shows are now selling their clothes at local boutiques.
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