Andre Wright will open the Light House of Fashion in Iowa City in May 2023. This is an educational space for minority people to learn about the fashion industry.

Daily Iowan We spoke with University of Iowa alumnus Andre Wright about founding the Wright House of Fashion and the opportunities in Iowa City.

The Light House of Fashion is located in a building previously owned by the Iowa City Varsity Cleaners. Scheduled to open to the public in May 2023, it is Iowa City’s first educational fashion house.

Wright spoke about her fashion background, her current projects, and the future of The Light House of Fashion.

Daily Iowan: what is your background? Please tell us how you started The Light House of Fashion.

Andre Wright: i went to school [at the UI], got a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and then worked for an American company. Then he started creating brands, most recently he created Humanize My Hoodie. I have done many local and national fashion shows, from Iowa City alley fashion shows to complete street closures.

Di: You said that you are having a conversation through fashion. What message are you currently working on to get out to the community?

Light: What I have been doing is using fashion as a voice for social change and conveying different political messages. I used fashion as a way to

Di: Specifically, you’ve moved to the Wright House Of Fashion, what are you planning to do with that space?

Light: Our mission is to empower underrepresented people using design, art and sustainable practices as a means of change. Now partnered with Warner Music, kids have the opportunity to attend his 12-week course that teaches a variety of graphic design techniques. Then learn about merchandising, marketing, e-commerce and supply her chain. With that information, they can design the actual artists on Warner Music’s roster.

Essentially, the Wright House Of Fashion is a fashion accelerator where you can participate and put fashion into practice. If you want to create a brand and market it out of this building, you can do so as there is a dedicated incubator space accessible to all Lighthouse members.

Related: Iowa City flea market features Iowa City artists and sellers

Di: How did the artists who come in and sell their work get involved?

Light: Our website has a link where you can actually sign up and participate. It will go live in May 2023. At the moment he is participating in the graphic design and fashion merchandising accelerators and will also be participating in the financial education accelerator once he graduates from both. program. They have access to an incubator space where they can actually test their products before taking them to market. We are basically building a fashion ecosystem.

Di: What are you excited to bring to the Iowa City community?

Light: There has never been a real fashion house focused on brand development and birth. My goal is to make it clear to people who we are, what we do, and that we are part of the community and that we are here to support it.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.