Project Runway Alum Venny Etienne Returns With Dallas Show After 4 Years

The scene is set at New York Fashion Week, February 2020, and Dallas designer Venny Etienne is just about to present his third Levenity collection at the Essence fashion show. In a star-studded moment, he’s approached by the boldly confident Caroline Wanga, CEO of Essence. She says, “Have you ever designed a look, where you’ve never had a client that was bold enough to wear it? Well … I want that look.” In what could only be coined as serendipity, Etienne immediately knew what piece was meant for Wanga.

Just prior to this encounter, he and his team had spent hours designing and creating a look — not from necessity, but from the heart. It was bold and audacious. There was no particular client for the look — until that moment. However, this was the last time that the designer felt inspired to create. After a successful showing at the February 2020 fashion show, Venny Etienne would take his final bow.

Fast forward four years, and Etienne is ready to take to the runway once again. For the first time since 2020, he’ll be showcasing an all-new designer collection in Dallas on Nov. 3 at The Tower Club. He sat down with us for an exclusive to dish all of the details.

“The way I felt when I was designing the piece that ended up being for Caroline Wanga … I haven’t felt that way in a long time, until now with this fashion show,” Etienne says.

A surprising revelation of sorts, Etienne was the poster child of success in Dallas. He was a Fashion Group International Paris scholarship winner and a Top 7 contestant for Project Runway’s Season 17, so it seemed as though the sky was the limit. He was one of the first fashion designers to design for Cardi B, and he boasts collaborations with Beyoncé (Black Is King), Fantasia, Niecy Nash, Miranda Curtis and Dallas’ own Erykah Badu and Jeremy Biggers. But all of that just wasn’t enough.

The Haitian-American designer quietly exited the scene and pressed pause on Dallas social gatherings he was known to frequent. Noticeably absent, Etienne went ghost, with no clue as to where or why. Many surmise that the mounting pressure to create, which often plagues fashion designers, could have been the ultimate reason.

When Raf Simons stepped down as Creative Director for Dior in 2015, after only three and a half years at the helm, it was alleged that the strenuous production schedule and the constant pressure for fresh ideas had taken their toll on the talented designer. In a post-COVID world, mental health and wellness are at the forefront of personal self-care, and many designers are now taking a stance against the system by creating on their own terms versus the traditional (and often stressful) fashion calendar.

“We’re in this day and age where you don’t have to set a schedule of four to eight collections a year,” Etienne says. “You now can do it however you want. I know so well of that pressure, because I felt like that was something I needed to live up to as well.”

During his four-year hiatus, Etienne focused heavily on his mental health, healing journey and self-discovery.

“I was brought to a place where I didn't have the desire to do the race anymore,” he says. “What am I doing it for if I haven’t felt whole? I finally took time for myself ... but now I’m able to do the things that I love and have a clear, loving mind while I’m doing it.

“When you’re designing or in workflow, you can’t have your mind cluttered with so much doubt and with so much fear. That’s when the pen stroke messes up and that’s when the [sewing] needle messes up. I’m clearing my mind of so much junk and everything is falling in line for this collection, and for my life.”

In the wellness context, it’s called “the space between” — the gap or pause within movement or flow. Within this space is where energy or intention is most apparent, and for many, where clarity occurs. In other words, it’s the sweet spot.

“That’s how I want to operate and that’s how I want to create — only in that space, and with a clear, loving mind,” Etienne says.

Levenity, the designer’s label, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year. The latest collection remains unnamed and is currently referred to as “Collection #004". After a year in the making, the final garments are receiving finishing touches before the big show on Nov. 3.

“I’m just excited to finally show a body of work that speaks to me and that speaks really strongly to an aesthetic that I’ve been sharpening this whole time,” the award-winning designer says. “I feel like a lot of artists go into their textbook application — what we feel like we need to show, whether it’s because of a trend or whatever, but when you tap into creating what’s inside of you, and you feel proud of it … people will draw to it.”

Etienne says that the upcoming Levenity collection will be seasonless, size-inclusive and present a lot of black and white — ranging from miniskirts and bralettes to winter coats. For the first time ever, he'll be introducing menswear. Several other surprises are in store, about which the designer remains mum, but hints that “things may not appear as they seem.”

As a subtle nod to his four-year metamorphosis, the #004 Collection is an overall embodiment of love.

“I want everyone to take away a feeling of confidence, and to understand that there’s love in everything, and to feel the love in all experiences — that’s the main message,” Etienne says. “I don’t think I'm even processing that I’m doing a collection right now. I’m not processing that there’s a fashion show in the future. I’m just enjoying creating in the moment, and then eventually a show will be in front of me and at that point I’ll be like, ‘Wow.’”

And while the name of the collection is still undecided, we’d like to suggest a title: "Epiphany — with love."

The Levenity #004 Ready-To-Wear Collection will be showcased at 7:15 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 3, at The Tower Club, 1601 Elm St. Tickets can be purchased at Bestinbeautygala.com. Follow Venny Etienne on Instagram @vennyetienne and visit his website, Levenity.com.