When CITYPARK transforms into a catwalk for the culminating event of this year’s Gent Men’s Fashion Week next Sunday afternoon (Feb. 18), the passions of Dwight Carter will collide. The CEO of Brainchild Next – creator and producer of Gent Men’s Fashion Week – serves on the board of Saint Louis Fashion Fund. Carter has also coached soccer for over 15 years and is a CITY SC Community Coach for the CITY Futures youth soccer program at its Play On University City location and Play On+ select team.
“Having a rich history of soccer in St. Louis and a rich history of fashion in St. Louis, it’s kind of a cool thing to see them merged,” Carter said. “I’ve seen fashion grow and I’ve seen soccer grow at the same time. It’s pretty exciting putting it all together.”
The Gent Men’s Fashion Week – Runway at CITYPARK fashion show is next on the robust schedule of programming as Saint Louis Fashion Fund continues to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
“I kept seeing these amazing photos from CITY SC players wearing the latest fashions as they arrived to matches,” said Saint Louis Fashion Fund Co-founder and Board Chair Susan Sherman. “And I thought – we need to get them involved in Gent. Many of the themes we see from CITY SC – sustainability, soccer jerseys, and sports-inspired fashion – are dominating menswear trends in 2024. This is a perfect opportunity for people to celebrate St. Louis’ bright future in sports and fashion.”
According to Carter, Saint Louis Fashion Fund’s support for the event is on brand for the unique way they are commemorating their milestone.
“Usually, companies and organizations have their anniversary for themselves,” Carter said. “But Saint Louis Fashion Fund is having an anniversary for St. Louis fashion. They are highlighting different elements of St. Louis fashion, and I think it’s great.”
Breaking ground as the first fashion event held at CITYPARK, the upcoming show will feature St. Louis CITY SC Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel, Head Coach Bradley Carnell, CITY SC players, CITY Futures youth soccer program participants, local celebrity models and more.
“St. Louis has a rich history in the fashion industry, as storied as our history in soccer,” said Lee Broughton, Chief Brand Architect and part of the ownership group of St. Louis CITY SC. “Many of our players love men’s fashion, and professional athletes across the world are driving trends in men’s fashion and footwear. We are proud to be part of this effort to elevate St. Louis’ legacy in both fashion design and soccer culture.”
Models will hit the runway wearing items from the collections of special guest London-based designer Stuart Trevor, cofounder of AllSaints and Bolongaro Trevor, in his new sustainable fashion line’s U.S. runway debut.
Local menswear designers Paulie Gibson, The Normal Brand, Rocket Supernova, Ying Ying Ying, and Lukas Roe with a special selection from CITY SC will also be featured.
“I am blessed and fortunate to have this opportunity – that St. Louis CITY SC decided that this was a great idea,” Gibson said. “I am thankful that these players are really into fashion – which is something that is in every fiber of my being.”
Gibson has partnered with Carter from the inception of Gent. In fact, the concept grew from a telephone brainstorming session between the two about ways to promote Gibson’s latest menswear line several years ago.
“This show was created because menswear was nonexistent in a lot of fashion shows,” Carter said. “You would have a look or two – and maybe one designer doing men’s stuff.”
It began as a one-time show to launch Gibson’s latest collection, included a few other designers and focused specifically on men’s style. The response was overwhelming. Eight installments later, they are still at it.
“It kind of blew up out of that – and we just kept doing it,” Carter said. “It wasn’t until the third year when we started adding other events to make it more of a multi-day men’s event.”
This year’s programming will include “Decades: The History of Men’s Fashion hosted by the Missouri History Museum and sponsored by Tacony Corporation/Baby Lock at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, February 13. On Saturday, February 17, fashionistas will have the opportunity to participate in “Men’s Retail Day” by shopping at nearly a dozen local retailers who will be participating with in-store events and sales. A few of the retailers include Tufts and Batson, Rudamentary and Profield Reserve.
Both Carter and Gibson were pleasantly surprised by how St. Louis CITY SC immersed themselves into the show – going above and beyond what typically takes place with fashion show sponsors.
“Sponsorships are [usually] like, ‘oh, we will give you x number of dollars and make sure you use our logo,’” Gibson said. “But with them it was like, ‘Do we get to choose who we walk for?’ and it was like, ‘Walk for?’ Well, that’s dope.”
It’s the kind of exposure that Carter believes will move him closer to his goal of making Gent the premiere men’s fashion event within the entire industry.
Gibson agrees.
“All of these eyes are on this team who made it all this way – and they were like, ‘Yes, we want to partner with you guys. This sounds really fun. Clothes are our jam,’” Gibson said. “It was like, ‘Wait, what? It’s crazy. It means that our city is willing to acknowledge and foster space for retail fashion as it pertains to menswear.”
Carter promises a one-of-a-kind experience.
“We are going to have a mix of soccer fans and fashion fans and we want people to understand how sports and fashion intersect,” Carter said. “And to see the talent that we have in menswear.”
The Gent Men’s Fashion Week – Runway at CITYPARK will take place at 3 p.m. (2 p.m. doors). For tickets and additional information about this year’s Gent Men’s Fashion Week, visit at https://www.brainchildnext.com/gent.
