Brandon Campbell brought Baton Rouge its first fashion week last year and received enough success to bring it back this year — but this time, it’s larger. 
Oneofakind Baton Rouge Fashion Week added a third show to accompany the For Kids By Kids and Big Night fashion shows. The BARE fashion show on Feb. 27 will be the first “natural” fashion show in Louisiana with no makeup on the models, and the clothing will have a natural aesthetic.
BRFW Public Relations Coordinator Glynna Mayers said Campbell, the show’s creator and founder, came up with the idea for the BARE show last year while working on his other fashion week in Little Rock, Arkansas.   
“He really was looking for an innovative, new type of show,” Mayers said. 
She said the BARE show brings something different to BRFW that the other two do not. For Kids By Kids will be a show to display children’s clothing, and Big Night will showcase more avant-garde fashion. 
BARE will include more casual fashion. Mayers said the BRFW team chose designers for this specific show by their ability to delve into natural-yet-edgy designs. 
Designer of Cupani Fashion Lacie Cupani is from Arkansas but decided to present at BRFW because of past positive experiences in the city. She said she enjoys being around the culture and the locals’ positive dispositions. 
For the BARE show, Cupani will show her “Sensuality” collection. She said this collection displays the natural beauty of the body. It also includes inspiration from a recent trip to Dubai, where the city’s nature became a creative outlet for her. 
She will also be presenting in Big Night with her collection “Simply the Best.”
Mayers said when looking for models, she focused on fresh talent who wanted to have the opportunity to work in the fashion industry but don’t get as much experience living in Baton Rouge as they would in New York City or Los Angeles. Many models walking in the BARE show will also be participating in Big Night. 
Model and mass communication junior Laeh Alexander said this is her second year at BRFW and that she will be walking in both shows. 
She said she’s wanted to model since she was a little girl, and working at BRFW is a great place to network. She finds it rewarding to walk in the shows, she said.
With the BARE show, Alexander said the idea appealed to her because of how different it was. 
“A lot of times the media tends to stereotype models, like they have to look a certain way in order to walk the runway or do catalog photo shoots,” Alexander said. “I think that this is just a great opportunity to showcase that ‘Hey, I can look like this and still model and do what I want to do [with my appearance].’” 
Mayers agreed this show brings a different type of program to BRFW attendees. She said it will cater to everyone — those who enjoy fashion and those not as fashion-savvy. She said the event is beneficial for Baton Rouge residents who don’t get such big fashion events regularly in the city.   
“The BARE show brings a different element [and] perspective on fashion. It’s outside that side of the realm of what people perceive to be high fashion and what fashion shows would be,” Mayers said.   
Doors for the BARE show will open at 7 p.m. and the show will begin at 8 p.m.
You can reach Meg Ryan on Twitter @The_MegRyan.

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Javier Fernández

LSU mass communication juniot Laeh Alexander will model for the 2015 BRGW bare fashion show.