What You Missed at Blade’s Fashion Up! Event

Models show off wares from designers featured on Nineteenth Amendment. / Photo by Gretjen Helene

Four growing Boston-born fashion startups—Ministry of Supply, Fashion Project, Nineteenth Amendment, and Bow & Drape—came together Saturday night for a runway show at the Fort Point office-turned-club space of tech foundry Blade. Though Blade chose not to invest in these stylish entrepreneurs, CEO Paul English said he wanted to “celebrate that there’s fashion happening in Boston.” Hence Saturday night’s show and soiree, featuring DJ Alex Young.

Ahead, four exciting things we learned about these chic companies…

Your summer commute is about to get a lot cooler.
Ministry of Supply, the clothing company founded by one-time MIT students who use science to create fashion-forward pieces (think: fabric that’s infused with reclaimed coffee grounds so that it absorbs odors), are expanding their line to include suits. The brand’s new “Stealth” suit, which debuted on Blade’s runway and launches this week, is retro-reflective, meaning that is reflects the sun’s rays instead of absorbing them like your typical black suit. The double-vented suit is also odor-resistant and regulates your body temperature using NASA-developed phase change material.

A model wears a new suit by Ministry of Supply. / Photo by Gretjen Helene

Ministry of Supply will keep calling Newbury home.
Wondering where you can nab one of these super-cool suits come summer? Ministry of Supply’s pop-up boutique at 299 Newbury St. will reopen March 3 following renovations and remain on Newbury at least until December. The clothing company is also opening a pop-up at 1903 Filmore in San Francisco this week.

Bostonians know how to work the runway.
Nineteenth Amendment cofounders Amanda Curtis and Gemma Sole, whose company connects emerging designers with fashionistas and then manufactures pieces in the U.S. on an as-ordered basis, showcased some of their local designers, including Northeastern students Dorothy Mensah and Krista Pottinger of L.O.R., and Boston-bred designer Joelle Jean-Fontaine of Kréyol. Jean-Fontaine’s high-fashion pieces in prints drawn from Afro-Caribbean culture made a true statement on the catwalk.

Kréyol founder Joelle Jean-Fontaine (left) and a model one of her creations. / Photo by Gretjen Helene

Fashion Project helps you give back in style—then rewards you for it.
We know Fashion Project has a big heart—the company takes slightly used items from brands like Chanel and Tori Burch and sells them online, then gives a share of the profits to an organization of the donor’s choice. Now they have been making their concept even more enticing thanks to a partnership with Nordstrom—for every five donated items they accept, you’ll get a $40 Nordstrom gift card. Good karma and a little extra spending money? Sign us up.

Recycled threads from Project Fashion on the runway. / Photo by Gretjen Helene