Des Moines Fashion Week is a five day event that takes place from Sep. 25 to Sep. 29, aimed at providing the Des Moines area with a luxurious experience consisting of fashion, culture, design, beauty, and entertainment.

It continues to expand in its second year and has chosen two Iowa State apparel, merchandising and design graduates to be a part of this year’s featured designers.

Hannah Swanson, a 2016 graduate from Iowa State’s apparel, merchandising and design program, was one of the designers selected to be featured in this year’s show. She has two lines being featured there this year.

One will be showcased on Wednesday at Rollins Mansion. The other will be showcased on Friday, the finale night, at Splash Seafood Bar and Grill. Swanson’s dresses go along with the themes of Wednesday and Friday night, which is evening-wear gowns. Swanson has also shown her designs at Kansas City Fashion Week and Omaha Fashion Week.

Victoria Raile, an Iowa State apparel, merchandising and design graduate, was also selected to be a part of this year’s show. Her designs will be showcased on Monday, at Noce Jazz Cabaret. The theme of that night is streetwear.

Creator and producer of Des Moines Fashion Week, Camille Butzen, selected both Swanson and Raile to be a part of this year’s show. Butzen has a very specific idea in mind when it comes to the designers that she wants to be in her show. So for the most part the designers are hand-picked by Butzen and her team with a variety of different expectations they must meet in order to be featured.

“They bring something new to Des Moines, to put us on the platform that we deserve to be on,” Butzen said.  

This year, the location and theme of each night of the event will change throughout the week. On Monday and Tuesday, the venue will be at Noce Jazz Cabaret. Suggested attire for Monday and Tuesday is cocktail attire.

The second venue on Wednesday is at the historic Rollins Mansion and suggested attire for that night is black-tie formal.

On Thursday and Friday, the last venue is at Splash Seafood Bar and Grill, and suggested attire for the last two nights of fashion week is also black-tie formal.

For those who have bought general admission tickets either online or at the door, the show will begin at 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. For those who has bought V.I.P. tickets, the pre-cocktail party will begin everyday at 6:30 p.m.

Butzen says that this year’s fashion show is a complete 360 from last year’s show. There will be 18 new designers being featured throughout the week and their designs will be uniquely presented by elite models from all over Iowa. But it’s not all runway and design, choreographers and dancers, both coming from local and national companies, will also put on shows to compliment the theme of the night.

“Last year was like a little taste of my vision for Des Moines and people loved it,” Butzen said. “But this year they get to have the dinner. There’s so many new elements that are coming into fashion week. This year people are just going to be wowed from every different angle.”

More information and tickets are available online.