What does 17 years of Texas fashion look like? This year, Austin Fashion Week 2025 looked like resistance wrapped in silk, softness standing tall in pink, and stories stitched into every hemline.
From May 8–10, the event returned to The Domain with a lineup that fused creativity with cultural memory and nowhere was that more evident than in the Black Designer Showcase. Featuring 19 designers and hosted in collaboration with the Austin Area Urban League, the showcase celebrated Black fashion and honored Black storytelling in all its textured, tailored forms.
“This all started the first season after our COVID comeback and post-George Floyd,” said Matt Swinney, CEO of Fashion X Texas, the company behind the event. “It just seemed a good time to lift Black designers in a really special way… The show has gotten better and better each season, and I can’t imagine not having it now.”
As someone attending for the first time, I wasn’t prepared for just how emotionally resonant it would be. Yes, there were runways and lights and applause, but there was also presence, real, grounded presence. I watched models of all backgrounds glide with confidence: children, elders, people with disabilities, different body types, different skin tones.
Intricate Lineage
Integrating Texan Heritage into Fashion
Intricate Lineage during Austin Fashion Week 2025, photography by Aarti Photography.
Intricate Lineage, that is what Candace Adams-Lovings calls the story behind her collection, and behind herself. Growing up in South Texas, she’s always had an appreciation for the difference in cultures that connect us all. Rooted in the history of San Marcos, her family played an important role in preserving farming and cowboy culture, an often overlooked legacy in Black history.
“Though many of us live in different localities,” she reflects, “the history that is often untold unites us with reverence for those who came before us, who we are, and where we are headed.” Intricate Lineage celebrates those untold stories. “Our lineages have been here, and we are still here.”
A former nurse turned designer, Candace has spent the past three years weaving that legacy into her fashion. Her Austin Fashion Week collection was a bold homage to Texan Black identity and heritage, featuring wide-brimmed cowboy hats, structured denim, statement belts, and vibrant patterns with cultural undertones.
From deep blue flared jeans paired with classic Western buckles, to a denim mini-dress with flared sleeves and a vivid striped neckline, every look honored where she came from while redefining where fashion can go. There was elegance, edge, and unmistakable attitude, the kind that walks confidently down a runway in boots and makes it look regal.
“There are many of us that are melanated,” she said. “I wanted to make sure all that’s represented, because it’s not a market we’re predominant in.” “I started as a nurse,” she added, “but this, fashion, this is my creative passion.”
Candace designs visibility. Her work honors the legacy of her lineage while asserting the presence of Black identity within a fashion landscape that too often forgets who came before. “If you have the vision in you, don’t let anybody stop you,” she said. “Proceed with your authenticity, because that’s the soul of you. And when you create from that place, doors will open.”
House of E. Keyes
Embracing Strength Through ‘Unbreakable’
House of E. Keyes during Austin Fashion Week 2025, photography by Madison Dee
Elisabeth Keyes has known since she was twelve that she was meant to design. Today, she is not only a fashion designer but also a motivational speaker and founder of the House of E. Keyes, a brand that is bold, intentional, and filled with inspiration. Its mission is to create meaningful, luxury-inspired designs that complement everybody and empower wearers through style and self-expression.
At Austin Fashion Week 2025, she presented Unbreakable, a monochromatic pink collection inspired by Roman columns, structures that have endured history while standing tall. The garments were sculptural and soft, detailed with ruffles that symbolized resilience. Her models moved not like accessories to the clothing, but like the message itself: still, poised, and powerful. “It was all about being strong,” Keyes told me. “I asked my models to be sophisticated, almost like statues. Unbreakable.” The collection was bold without shouting, graceful without shrinking. It made softness feel strategic, and power feel beautiful.
Keyes also spoke openly about what the showcase meant for her as a Black designer. “Being creative is necessary,” she said, “but coming from my ethnicity in this industry, it’s just now becoming more diverse. So, to have an event that’s selective to this type of identity is very special. We’re not just creatives. We’re designers. We’re brand owners.”
She didn’t shy away from the challenges, either. “Honestly, no challenge broke me. Whether it was mental, financial, or procrastination, I kept showing up. I came here to network and show myself that this is my goal. And I did that.”
One of the most powerful messages she left behind was for other Black designers trying to find their way, “Don’t be intimidated. Be strategic. Know your audience. Stay true to your aesthetic and your story. That is your power.”
A Runway of Diversity and Intention
From behind the scenes to the catwalk, inclusion is the headline at the event. CEO Matt Swinney emphasized that diversity has always been part of the event’s DNA. “We had models from all walks of life on the runway before it was ‘cool’ to do that,” he said. “I often get asked why a Black Designer Showcase and not any other ethnicities and the reality is that I’m open to that, too. But the need isn’t there in the same way. Black designers specifically need a little extra boost, and if we can provide that, then I’m happy to.”
He also spoke about what he hopes designers take away from participating Austin Fashion Week 2025. “It’s really, really hard to be a fashion designer and make a living at it,” he said. “My hope is that our shows help give them the courage and the renewed energy to keep at it.” And they did, even in the face of literal storms. “We had light rain through the Thursday show, then a wild Texas thunderstorm hit mid-show Saturday,” he laughed. “But the models, designers, and attendees handled it with grace. My team rolled with the punches.”
Austin Fashion Week 2025 highlighted the creative talents of Black designers, but also reminded me that representation, when done right, doesn’t have to shout. Sometimes it walks quietly, confidently, unbreakable.
A tireless seeker of knowledge, an ambivert, a feminist, and, coincidentally, a writer. She is a psychology graduate pursuing her writing passion by working as a communication manager in Ethiopia. Writing is a wall she built around herself to hide her other personalities, and words. When not writing, Pomy loves to sit alone and wander in her imaginative mind.
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