Fashion Forward: West County Center

We all know that it’s important to support industry in St. Louis. West County Center in Des Peres is taking that mission to heart by establishing a new partnership with STL Fashion Alliance. The newly founded nonprofit is dedicated to providing resources to aspiring, emerging and established local fashion professionals, ranging from designers to models and photographers. The organization is opening a satellite location in the shopping center with the goal of serving more professionals and teaching the public about the St. Louis fashion industry.

STL Fashion Alliance was founded by Audra Harrold and Kristin Phommaly. Their mission was to create a resource to help drive the development of the local fashion industry. “There are a lot of great organizations doing their part for St. Louis fashion,” Harrold says. “If you look at the industry as a pie, everyone has their own unique slice, and it’s really important that we collaborate to move fashion forward as a collective. Our focus is helping people connect with resources, whether they are new to the industry or more established.”

The nonprofit’s West County Center location will not be a retail store. Instead, it will serve as an innovation and information hub. “The space will be open to the public so they can come and see what is happening in St. Louis fashion,” Harrold explains. “Designers will be able to share their work on mannequins and through sketches, and people will be able to offer real time feedback on the current displays. We’re really excited to be able to bridge the gap between the public and local talent.” The location also will serve as an event and meeting space, providing designers a professional place to meet with clients that has fitting rooms and tailoring facilities.

The STL Fashion Alliance’s satellite will host its first event April 1. It will be one of the nonprofit’s Fashion Fridays, which are free networking opportunities for professionals to meet and interact with one another. Some events held at the space will be open to the public, while others will be for the organization’s clients only. Harrold says how the location is utilized will evolve. “Everything is unfolding as we become aware of what people need,” she notes. “Our goal is to create awareness in the public. It goes beyond just shopping locally to making a tangible connection to the local professionals you’re supporting.”

For West County Center, a partnership with an organization like STL Fashion Alliance just made sense. “For a style destination like us, this is a great opportunity to be able to support local designers, students and other facets of the St. Louis fashion community,” senior marketing director Sean Phillips says. “Through the satellite location, STL Fashion Alliance will be able to continue to grow while reaching more people in the county, and West County Center will be able to be a part of supporting its mission to bring St. Louis back to prominence in the national and global fashion industry.”

The StL Fashion Alliance is dedicated to providing resources to local fashion professionals. The nonprofit is opening a resource and education center at West County Center April 1. Pictured on the cover: Michael Shead, India Nelle, Audra Harrold, Kristin Phommaly, Trent Colquitt, Randi Cervitz. For more information, visit shopwestcountycenter.com and stlfashionalliance.org.

Cover design by Julie Streiler
Cover photo by Colin Miller of Strauss Peyton Photograph

Pictured at top: STL Fashion Alliance co-founders Kristin Phommaly and Audra Harrold
Photo: Colin Miller of Strauss Peyton Photography