Street Style Event Created to Celebrate H&M Opening in Conjunction With Denver Arts Week

DENVER, Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As fans of the clothing retailer H&M anxiously await the opening of Colorado's first, full-concept H&M located at Denver Pavilions on Nov. 10 at noon, they'll experience a heavy dose of Denver's art, culture, music and fashion at a new event called Street Style.

Street Style is produced by Denver Pavilions and is a part of Visit Denver's Denver Arts Week programming and will run from 9am-3pm on Thursday, Nov. 10 on Glenarm Place and in Denver Pavilions' plazas.

Several factors went into the decision to create a street festival in conjunction with the H&M opening.

"Anticipated demand" by shoppers coupled with offers from H&M for the first 500 in line are anticipated to draw large crowds prior to the store opening at noon on Nov. 10.

Coincidentally, the opening date of H&M falls during Denver Arts Week. This created a window of opportunity for Denver Pavilions to bring more attention to Denver's fashion, music, art, and dance scene during the opening day excitement.

"We pulled in our network of community and cultural partners to develop programming for Street Style. Samuel Schimek, curator and owner of the I HEART Denver store at Denver Pavilions was instrumental in that process," added Manning.

Street Style festivities include fashion shows on Glenarm Place from Forever 21, Express,  Banana Republic and Gap with runway models from Wilhelmina, a performance by Ballet Nuevo Colorado, tunes from local DJs, hair designs and tips by stylists from Matthew Morris' salon and the makeup team from Bare Escentuals.

Tami Door, president of the Downtown Denver Partnership, Paul Washington, chief of Denver's economic development and Mark Sidell, president of Gart Properties will receive Street Style makeovers from local stylists.

The event also includes a "Cut & Sew Challenge" contest sponsored by the Denver Art Museum and hosted by "Project Runway" season 9 contestant Fallene Wells.

The Denver Art Museum will host a collection from the late French couturier Yves Saint Laurent. As a challenge,  four local designers – Melissa May, Trisha Hoke, Heidi Busk and Rachel Marie Hurst will compete to create an outfit inspired by YSL.  The designers will work on Glenarm Place so the crowd can watch the process.  Judges include Donald Peterson, the Honorary Consul of Sweden and Brittney Peterson local costume designer and Consular Agent to the Royal Consul of Sweden, Darrin Alfred, Design Curator from the  Denver Art Museum,  and Beth Bradley, Associate Editor, Sew News.

Murals focusing on Denver-based cultural themes designed by Like Minded productions for Art Institute of Colorado, Sandra Fetting for Visit Denver and Joel Duvall Feldt for the Downtown Denver Partnership will be showcased throughout the event.

For more information on the event visit www.DenverPavilions.com or www.DenverArtsWeek.com.

About Denver Pavilions

Denver Pavilions is a one-of-a-kind retail/entertainment center in the heart of downtown Denver on the 16th Street Mall, providing a "critical mass" of 40 retail tenants, restaurants and entertainment venues. The open-air Denver Pavilions features three-story buildings on a two-block development that is linked by "The Great Wall," an interior structure featuring the word, "DENVER," which has become the world wide symbol of downtown Denver. With such "marquee" tenants as H&M, Hard Rock Cafe, Maggiano's, 15-screen United Artist Theatre, Barnes & Noble, Lucky Strike Lanes and Forever 21, Denver Pavilions has become a magnet for the metropolitan region. Denver Pavilions is conveniently located for the downtown area's 110,000 office workers and growing residential base and is close to the 16th Street Mall, theaters, restaurants, events, cultural and athletic facilities. 

SOURCE Denver Pavilions