Students prepare to take the runway during CO Beautillion-Cotillion fashion show

DENVER — In a classroom at Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy, creativity is on full display. From sketches to stitches, students are designing and modeling their own looks, preparing for the 16th annual Colorado Beautillion-Cotillion Fashion Show and Fundraiser set for Feb. 22 at the school.

Richard Butler

Denver Public Schools is partnering with the nonprofit Colorado Beautillion-Cotillion for the event, which aims to build confidence, refine talents and teach new skills like sewing, collaboration and leadership.

“We want this to be a choice where they can build relationships, build careers, build a foundation where they can be their authentic self and just thrive in being their authentic self,” said Sheila Robinson-Butler, board member for the Colorado Beautillion-Cotillion.

For 9th-grader Trez’surie Braxton, fashion has long been a passion.

“I like exotic looks. I like something that will pop, something that’s different from others,” Braxton said. “I always loved fashion and designing.”

Richard Butler

Braxton said Black culture is important to her and influences her designs.

“My inspiration came from a lot of other Black designers,” she said. “I really want to do this when I grow up. I really want to invest in creating outfits for famous people.”

Braxton hopes to attend fashion school in New York and said this will be her first time designing for a model in a fashion show.

Eleventh-grader Fatimah Hernandez is also stepping into design for the first time.

“I am very excited to be one of the designers in this fashion show,” Hernandez said. “I have never designed anything. I started thinking about wanting to design when I was about 9 or 10.”

Richard Butler

She said her mother inspires her creativity.

“My mom is my inspiration. I want to design stuff for her to wear and people in my culture to wear,” Hernandez said. “Stuff on the shelves doesn’t really help us wear what we want and express ourselves because we are people who cover and are more modern.”

Hernandez said the program has helped her learn collaboration and coordination, and given her freedom to create.

“It feels like freedom because I get to choose whatever I want and then create something new,” Hernandez said.

The Colorado Beautillion-Cotillion mentors students for six to nine months, offering workshops on college readiness, financial literacy, etiquette, communication skills and career development.

“We want this to be a choice where they can build relationships, build careers, build a foundation where they can be their authentic self,” Robinson-Butler said.

Colorado Beautillion-Cotillion Founder Cheryl Carter said the fashion show’s main goal is to build self-confidence and self-esteem.

“We want them to find something that they can identify with, feel good with and really shine,” Carter said.

Richard Butler

As part of this year’s show, students are participating in a segment called SWAG, Student Wearable Art Gear, where they repurpose clothing into original designs.

“What you saw today was a level of creativity that allows them to say, ‘This is what it was, now this is where we’re going,’” Robinson-Butler said.

While participants in the Beautillion-Cotillion program are predominantly Black, organizers describe it as a multicultural organization open to people of all backgrounds.

“It’s important because the world is diverse, and we are all unique,” Robinson-Butler said.

The Feb. 22 fashion show will include cultural, military and fashion-forward segments. Tickets are available at the door or online through the Colorado Beautillion-Cotillion’s website. Prices are $10 for students, $20 for adults and $30 for a VIP ticket that includes a swag bag.

Organizers say the event serves as a fundraiser for the group’s formal student presentation and gala later this year.