Fashion week gives new Knoxville designers a chance

Marcus Hall wants to make Tennessee cool.

The Knoxville men's fashion designer describes his clothing line, Marc Nelson Denim, as a bit of West-coast grunge mixed with some Southern country.

"My style is comfortable," said Hall, 41, who also grew up here. "It's the comfort of Tennessee with the splash of L.A. I was always the cool guy in the group. I'm wearing skinny jeans in Knoxville, man."

As he pointed to the gray jeans that bear his company's logo, he said, "I want to make Tennessee cool."

Though he started his line of high-end men's denim and T-shirts about 18 months ago, March 1 will be the first time people in Hall's hometown get a chance to see just how cool he is.

Hall will participate in the men's runway show at Knoxville Fashion Week, which runs from Feb. 29 to March 2.

The elaborate event will feature more than 16 designers, most of whom are from Knoxville, said event founder Jaime Hemsley.

East Tennessee designers range from headliner Donovan Swick, who transforms vintage fabric into wearable clothes and has shown all over the world, to young, emerging designers, who have never put together full collections.

Andrea Azevedo, 26, has dreamed about creating her own collection since she was a 5-year-old growing up in Farragut.

"My parents always had this thing where they wouldn't dress us," Azevedo said. "They would let us pick out our clothes. I was my parents' 'eclectic dresser,' the girl who wore costumes to school. The world of fashion held the key to my heart."

She attended Carson-Newman College for fashion design and business.

Currently, she works as manager, buyer and stylist for Crass Couture, a boutique in Market Square.

Still, she designs her own clothes, costumes for children she watches and special-request outfits for friends. When she went to see Lady Gaga in concert, she and design partner Josh Carter made costumes for everyone.

Inspiration for this collection, which she will show on March 1, came from Disney's "The Little Mermaid."

The process has been stressful with many hours and lots of Red Bull in her "sweatshop" basement, but it's worth it.

"When you see one of your designs on someone else, it's so euphoric," Azevedo said. "I'm freaking out."

She plans to consign her pieces at Crass Couture.

People can already purchase Hall's designs online at www.marcnelsondenim.com and starting in February, 50 men's boutiques nationwide.

Coming out of Central High School, Hall wanted to start his own clothing line, but he couldn't afford it.

He's done stints in New York City, Los Angeles and Atlanta but always returned to Knoxville. He has modeled and worked in retail.

"I was a barber," Hall said. "I cut hair for 13 years. I always stayed in contact with fashion."

In 2010, he decided it was his last chance to design his own collection.

At first, he thought he would do men's and women's clothes, but friends in Los Angeles told him to stick with one or the other.

"Men are closer to the heart, my lifestyle," Hall said. "My grandfather was my influence."

His grandfather always told him to make a good first impression and this starts with the way a man is dressed, he said.

Hall's company name is a nod to his grandfather, L.C. Nelson.

Jenna Colina hadn't thought about designing her own collection for six years.

Since attending Miami International University of Art and Design from 2004 to 2005, she's focused on her career as director of Gage Talent.

But when her boss, Hemsley, began planning Knoxville Fashion Week, Colina became inspired.

She's designing a swimsuit line -- her specialty -- for fashion week. Her love of swimsuits dates back to design school in Miami, but it wasn't just because of the sandy beaches outside her classroom.

"There's not a lot of fabric to work with," said Colina, who has also modeled. "But what you do, do has to be eye-catching. Your work has to be a little more exceptional."Growing up in East Tennessee, Colina didn't have much access to the latest beachwear, but she had many seamstresses in her family. She grew up with a lot of handmade clothes.

She said her swimwear is classy and looks high-end but also appeals to college students.

"People can spend $100 to $250 on a swimsuit," Colina said. "It's a fashion statement. It's like buying a pair of shoes."

She isn't necessarily looking to sell her line, but it would be fun to see her swimsuits on other people.

Hall hopes Knoxville Fashion Week helps him achieve his goal of bringing production of his jeans from Los Angeles to Knoxville, especially because a Levi's plant used to be in Knoxville.

His clothes are soft and comfortable and he designs with the East Tennessee man in mind.

After he photographed his first collection in Los Angeles, he decided to shoot the fall line in Seymour and the Old City to show people elsewhere what Tennessee looks like.

"These are skinny jeans, but they're not cut-off-your-circulation skinny," he said. "Just because we are in Knoxville, it doesn't mean we can't be fashion forward."