The Web Has No Weaver is designing their third collection and their planned fashion show follows an inventive path down the runway. Their “upcycled couture for the freaky, flashy, tacky, and trashy” will be on display in an exhibition and fashion show in April. Planning a seasonal show is standard practice for any fashion designer, but this “Arachnephilia” is different.
The collection will be on display in a private residence. An RSVP is required to attend the event and the venue has a limited capacity. The intentional privacy of is not the only unconventional feature of the show: It is funded in part by a raffle conducted through Instagram, in which participants can win a custom design to be revealed on the runway. Web describes the theme of the collection as “a re-imaging of the ancient myth of Arachne, through the lens of the historically feminized labor of fashion and fiber art.”
This approach to sharing sustainable fashion — that is body positive and often avant-garde — inspires us to take a look beyond the textural and colorful designs themselves. Web encourages us to think about what it means for a creative space to be both inclusive and safe for women, queer people, and other marginalized people. This collection also makes us wonder about the availability of performance space in Louisville for displaying nontraditional fashions. Regardless of our level of affection for arachnids, “Arachnephilia” is already challenging some of our preconceived notions. And we have not even seen the completed collection yet.
Follow The Web Has No Weaver on Instagram for more details about their design process and more information about the event and the raffle
This article appears in Apr 9-23, 2024.
