Her tagline: With each piece made, another gun is taken off the street.
"I just wanted to take something destructive and turn it into something creative," Brandon said in front of the Jonathan Shorr Art Gallery minutes after her presentation ended.
"Something had to be done. . . . I woke up one day and realized it could be me," said Brandon, who lives in Mount Airy. "I could be shot and killed."
The twice-yearly shows in September and February are the biggest weeks of the year for U.S. fashion. More than 100 designers, from Oscar de la Renta to Tommy Hilfiger, showcase the upcoming seasons' looks to generate sales and buzz. Many of the shows are at the Bryant Park Tents, but several are at trendy galleries and loft spaces throughout the city.
Fashion Week is never without its causes. But many tend to be global - fighting AIDS and the genocide in Darfur - or have a chic factor, such as pink ribbons for breast cancer. Violence in the inner city has rarely, if ever, been addressed.
So Brandon, 34, is trying to break ground. In addition to her humanitarian aspirations, she knows strong seasons have made many a fashion designer. (Look at former University of Pennsylvania student Stacey Bendett of alice + olivia, who has gone from a simple collection to full-fledged boutiques in five years, as well as Main Liner Tory Burch, who became hot based on tunics.)
But it's tough, and this is Brandon's fifth season showing during Fashion Week. Her fashions were scheduled to be part of another show yesterday at the Hudson Hotel. She will host another show locally at the German Society of Pennsylvania on Sept. 21.
