Abel Gallegos, a designer at this year’s Tucson Fashion Week, said that fashion exists as an extension of the self and as a powerful method of individual expression.

Gallegos’ work reflects this sentiment, and he looked forward to showing his work for the first time on the Tucson runway.

Gallegos said that he has always been inspired by things that he has wanted to do and be a part of.

“Color was definitely something that I … played with more than ever before, which is a huge stretch with me, being that I’ve always been an all-black — and some white — kind of person,” Gallegos said. “Also, I was greatly inspired by the music created by the artist SOPHIE. I love the mix of dark and eerie with fun and energetic.”

A strong focus for Gallegos, which is extremely prevalent throughout his collection, is his consistent design of gender-neutral clothing.

Gallegos said that the fit of an outfit is key to non-gender-based clothing — every piece in Gallegos’ collection is loose and easy to throw on.

“I’ve always felt like women’s wear was a lot more interesting, and [I] wondered, ‘Why couldn’t menswear have better options, [more] detailed options?'” Gallegos said. “I just want to create fun, cool and interesting pieces for an individual who doesn’t abide by those norm rules and wears whatever they feel speaks to them.” 

Gallegos said that what makes TFW so special is the opportunity that it provides for designers to display their work. He saw the show as a launchpad for his own career in fashion.

“[My collection is] definitely unique to TFW, being that nobody here has shown a unisex collection,” he said. “It’ll shake things up for sure, in a good way hopefully.”

Gallegos uses a lot of pinks, mints and silvers, as well as a significant amount of detail throughout his designs. He said that there are a lot of o-rings hanging from eyelets to look like piercings, and there are other significant belting details.

“I’d say [my collection is] definitely representative of an individual who is unafraid and also one that likes to have some fun.” 

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