Kimberly Beasley is the owner of the Curvitude Boutique, and she participated in a Flying Solo fashion show Sunday.

“What’s so important about this? Just to be able to do whatever I want,” Beasley said.

What You Need To Know

  • Flying Solo is a platform that helps designers present at New York Fashion Week
  • Flying Solo was started in 2016 by designers who did a show together to save money
  • Designer Kimberly Beasley told NY1 that if not for Flying Solo, she would not be able to participate in New York Fashion Week
  • Flying Solo has retail locations in Manhattan and Paris

Beasley was emotional when talking about what being part of New York Fashion Week means to her.

“It’s amazing. You’re actually breathing life into your creations,” Beasley said.

Flying Solo is a platform and networking community that allows emerging fashion designers to present at New York Fashion Week.

Designers do shows together in the same venue and split the costs of everything needed to put on a show, including renting the space, taking photos and paying for models.

Some of the designers NY1 spoke to Sunday said that without Flying Solo, they would not be able to participate in New York Fashion Week.

Clothing designers each pay around $6,000 for a Flying Solo show. Organizers say this a significant discount when compared to what someone would pay if they were on their own.

“A show can cost $30,000 for one person for a little tiny show. Because we get all of those designers together, we divide the costs,” Flying Solo co-founder Silvia Davila said.

Davila is from Forest Hills. In 2016, she and a handful of other designers got together to start Flying Solo and make New York Fashion Week more accessible.

“Being in New York is a really big deal. Sometimes people that live here in New York, we forget to appreciate how lucky we are to be here,” Davila said.

Beasley says this is her third time taking part in New York Fashion Week.

“It’s truly amazing to be able to do this,” Beasley said.

People can visit Flying Solo’s retail spaces in SoHo or in Paris to purchase garments and accessories from the fashion shows.