Top: Jady Rosario wearing Design By Lockett Co. Bottom: Alexia Reyes and Jady Rosario. Karina Gonzalez Photos.
The sound shook the floor as the emcee Avery "Slay" Washington moved along to loud electronic music, making a corner of downtown New Haven officially a vibe. In the audience, people had started dancing under the bright lights. The air buzzed and crackled, electric. But when model Jady Rosario stepped out with her fierce walk, everything went to another level.
Rosario owned the runway in a silver metallic pants and jacket set from Design By Lockett Co. that glowed under the flashing cameras, the fit revealing a new aspect every time she changed her pose. By the time she made it to the end of the runway and put her hand on her hip and gave a sassy face, the energy at CITA Park was louder than the music. Attendees cheered loudly, laying the groundwork for the next model.
Rosario, a rising junior at University of Hartford, was one of the models featured last Wednesday at the The Blueprint Fashion Show, now a hallmark of New Haven’s BWS Festival Week. Organized by designer and entrepreneur Jayden ”Styles Strizz” Pressey for the third year in a row and held at CITA Park in New Haven’s Ninth Square neighborhood, the event brought style, sass and sartorial celebration to downtown New Haven, turning the night into a full experience.
Featured designers included Cylus Williams of Novel Studios; Sydney Bell of Syd University; Bobby Ewing of MadeByEwing; Darius Williams of War x Peace Clothing; Lenny Lockett and Billiejane Phengsy of Design by Lockett; and Brenton Shumaker of DeadBy5am.
Brenton Shumaker of DeadBy5am. Karina Gonzalez Photo.
The vision behind the event was “to show the construction of creativity,” Strizz said in a phone call before the show. “A fashion show is more than just something with a title. It’s something that you can leave wanting to return, it's an experience.”
That vision dovetailed with the wider mission of the BWS Festival, he added. Just as in years past, Strizz entered Wednesday’s show knowing that several of the designers featured would be selling their work at a massive vendor fair on Saturday, and running their Black-owned businesses well beyond the festival's end. The fashion show became a chance to lift them up and amplify their work beforehand.
Likewise, Strizz said, it was and is a chance to give emerging and student models a chance to shine in the spotlight.
At the event, a person could see that in action. Alongside Rosario were other models including Alexia Reyes, a rising senior at Western Connecticut State University (WestConn). Both women are currently balancing college life with their time on the runway; Reyes is studying musical theater and has been modeling for about a year now, and Rosario is studying radiology.
Reyes said she is really passionate about modeling and hopes to pursue it as a full-time career in the future. Rosario is a junior at the University of Hartford and started her modeling journey in February 2025. Right now, she focuses on it as a side hustle while completing her degree in radiology.
Top: Alexia Reyes, a rising senior at Western Connecticut State University.
Both women shouted out their respective support systems, including friends and family that have been cheering them on the whole way. For Rosario, the best part of The Blueprint was getting to share the experience with people she loves. She actually convinced her best friend to walk in the show with her.
"I got my best friend to be here too, she's actually modeling," Rosario said, pointing in the friend’s direction. "I got her to come and told her she needs to be in the show."
"We're all getting into this together, so it's nice to have them in this process," Reyes agreed.
Both girls learned that meeting the right people is key, they added. Rosario met Strizz through a mutual friend at a project for We Heart RnB, which is another creative endeavor he works on. Reyes met him at WestConn, when she modeled in an African Caribbean Student Association fashion show. He scouted her for a show he was running at New York Fashion Week, and she has been modeling for his projects ever since.
Brenton Shumaker, who said that he is known as "Brent The Terrible," is the designer behind the brand Deadby5am. For The Blueprint, he finished making all of his designs the day before the event.
Clothes from DeadBy5am. Karina Gonzalez Photos.
One of the main pieces in the lineup was a zip-up jacket made out of placemat material. The main idea behind this clothing line was "insanity," he continued: Shumaker usually begins his design process with a central concept.
For this collection, he focused on the idea of madness because of his views on current events. He said that the state of the world, especially America's global impact, were on his mind when creating these pieces. Shumaker first started making clothes 14 years ago.
He began by designing pieces for his friends in rock bands because he wanted to contribute to their projects. His current work focuses on visual storytelling to get his ideas across to the audience. He works out of a studio on Henry Street, nested inside the arts incubator NXTHVN.
“Seeing is the first step in believing, and when that’s done the next step is doing,” he said. He added that when he focuses on a goal, the possibilities are endless.
Jenee Lewin and Keith Levey. Karina Gonzalez Photos.
Among the people at the event was New Haven native Keith Levey, who came with his friend Jenee Lewin. Wearing a white tee, a black-and-white scarf, and sunglasses, Levey didn't miss the memo to cheer on fashion while looking fashionable.
That's not surprising if a person knows him: Levey has a lot of experience with design. He said he works in luxury interior design and upholstery, traveling to Europe for work and recently starting a project with Hermès. He also manages the downtown restaurant 80 Proof.
His connection to the event’s organizer goes way back. Str, he added. Strizz’s mom was Levey’s very first friend in college in 1988. Since Strizz is now a regular at his restaurant, Levey wanted to come to the new, bigger venue to see how his brand is growing.
"He supports me, so I’m definitely here to support him and to see what he has in store," Levey said.
When asked what advice he has for young artists trying to start out, Levey suggested that "whatever speaks to your heart, do it."
Kulturally LIT Founder IfeMichelle Gardin. She said she was there "to support Black Wall Street and these fabulous young creatives and designers." Karina Gonzalez Photos.
Another person at the show was Kulturally LIT Founder IfeMichelle Gardin, a member of New Haven’s Cultural Affairs Commission who had come in style. Gardin, who was wearing a 1960s-style outfit with earrings she bought at a past Black Wall Street event, came to show her support for the city's local creative community.
When asked how she heard about the event, she said that she follows Black Wall Street closely and stays aware of local activities through her city role. Instead of coming for one specific designer, Gardin attended to experience the entire show as a whole. When asked about her main reason for being there, she shared that she wanted "to support Black Wall Street and these fabulous young creatives and designers."
This article comes from the ninth and current cohort of the Arts Council's Youth Arts Journalism Initiative (YAJI). From June 29 through August 21, YAJI students pitch, report, write and edit stories with Arts Paper Editor Lucy Gellman, Program Assistants Abiba Biao and Grayce Howe and Mentor Ruby Szekeres. Karina Gonzalez is a rising sophomore at Acellus Academy. She was previously at Engineering and Science University Magnet School (ESUMS).