A Capital Region BOCES teacher will have her designs on display on the world’s stage later this month.
At the Feb. 15 Unieke Mode NYFW Runway Series show during New York’s famous Fashion Week, Global Fashion Studies teacher Karen Kema Maxwell—owner of Kema’s Kreations — will show bags that she created
“I will have 10 bags in the 3 p.m. show and 15 in the 5 p.m. show,” said Maxwell. “From 5 to 7 p.m., I will sit and wait for the bags to sell off of the runway.”
Sales can include individual bags being sold and/or orders for more of the creations.
It’s the second year Maxwell has attended Fashion Week with her creations.
“Last year, I sold bags through social media afterwards— some the models posted on social media and others through the fashion house,” Maxwell said.
This is Maxwell’s first year teaching the Fashion program at the Career and Technical Education Center and she has involved her students in the Fashion Week preparation.
“My seniors have provided feedback on my bag designs,” she said. “And one of them will be attending my fashion show with her mother.”
That student, Dicey Lewis from Cohoes, is not only attending Maxwell’s show, but also participating in Fashion Week as a buyer.
“I want to buy fabric for the outfits I am making for the SkillsUSA competition,” she said. “I want to be a fashion designer, so just attending Fashion Week will be a good experience.”
Maxwell said involving her students in Fashion Week has made this year’s show more meaningful.
“This year is much more important to me simply because my students are a part of and because it shows them the potential they each have to achieve their dreams,” she said.