Cannabis Meets Couture At New York Fashion Week
Debra BorchardtDebra is an award-winning journalist that has covered the cannabis industry consistently for the last seven years. During that time, she has appeared at numerous cannabis conferences and made many television appearances speaking about the cannabis financial news. Debra has written for Forbes and TheStreet. Prior to becoming a financial journalist, Debra was a Vice President at Bear Stearns where she held several securities licenses.Cannabis
Over the weekend, models sashayed down the runway with some proudly taking hits on vapes as they meshed glamorous high fashion and cannabis consumption.
Fashion met cannabis this past weekend as Project Runway Allstar, Korto Momolu, partnered with Women Grow, the largest network of women in the cannabis and hemp industries for a runway show spectacular. The combination of high fashion and activewear emblazoned with the Women’s Grow logo was well-received by an enthusiastic audience.
Models sashayed down the runway with some proudly taking hits on vapes as they meshed glamorous high fashion and cannabis consumption. The show embraced the idea that women can be seen in flowing beautiful gowns and also consumer cannabis whether it be CBD or THC.
Momolu debuted a runway collection of women’s ready to wear that embodied the power, influence, and strength of female leadership. The fabrics chosen for the outfits were from many sustainable materials including hemp fabric, linen, jute, and cork. The activewear from the Women’s Grow line promoted the idea of a healthy lifestyle with the element of cannabis thrown in. The show was notable for its inclusivity with models of different sizes and ages. Yes, a model with grey hair came strutting down the catwalk. No ageism was allowed at this show.
“While the intersection of fashion and cannabis industries may not seem obvious at first, the collaboration was created to amplify the message of Women Grow – Empowerment, Inspiration, and Education,” states Chanda Macias, CEO of Women Grow. “Through Korto’s innovative and elegant collection, our goal is to break through the stigma of cannabis culture and bring to light the health benefits of the plant, and the value of women leaders in the industry.” Macias noted that Women Grow’s mission is not to cultivate cannabis but to intentionally cultivate female leadership within the cannabis industry as well.
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As the beauty industry has embraced CBD with seemingly every product now claiming some sort of Cannabidiol inclusion, fashion has been slow to join in. Hemp was used for textiles for hundreds of years, but its characteristics of strength make it a difficult and expensive product to process for clothing. However, as more apparel manufacturers begin to work with hemp once again, the processing should begin to improve and become less costly.
“Women Grow has a great handle on an industry that is about to truly explode – and this offers a HUGE opportunity for women to make their mark. They’re all about empowering women, and that’s what resonated with me most,” commented designer, Korto Momolu. “We’re looking to normalize cannabis – we’re showing vapes on the runway and an assortment of hemp-based fabrics.”
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Korto Momolu auditioned for, and earned a spot on the 5th season of Bravo TV’s hit show, Project Runway – earning her the prize of “fan favorite.” She was highlighted in the ‘Top 5 Designers to Watch’ at her debut season at New York fashion week SS09.
