streetwear

This past August Chelsea Erhart was contacted by the Telluride AIDS Benefit in Telluride (TAB), Colorado about showcasing her line at their fashion event.  Her line, Erhart Street Wear would be sharing the runway with other well known brands such as Moschino Cheap & Chic, North Face, and Andrew Christian.  Each brand was asked to donate 2k worth of inventory to be auctioned off at the end of the show, with proceeds going towards AIDS education.  The large donation compelled Miss Erhart to apply for a grant through TAB, to help cover her expenses.  Upon winning a travel grant, Chelsea Erhart sought out to design a collection that would reflect how AIDS and HIV has affected her life, all the while keeping in mind the essence of her street wear line.

At the age of 12, HIV became a tangible thing in Chelsea’s life.   When her Uncle, Charles Erhart, was sent to the hospital for serious phenomena, her parents informed her that he had been living with the virus for a decade.   He is alive today, a long time survivor of the virus, and a long standing fan of Miss Erhart’s work.  Years later, while attending the university, Chelsea worked as an assistant designer for Pulse Underwear, a prominent line in the gay entertainment community.  There she worked with amazing individuals who were affected by the need for healthcare, both on the production floor and on the runway.  Whenever Chelsea thinks of the AIDS virus, the first thing that comes to mind is the fight she had seen in so many eyes.  Miss Erhart wanted to create clothing for this fight that would promote a healthy individual from the inside out.

She turned to old photos of her Uncle Charles and was inspired by the time period;   HIV wasn’t really understood yet and it was affecting everyone even famous people.  Charles’s football uniforms reminded her of the famous athletes who have died from the virus.  Hence, the Vinyl Varsity collection was born.  These pieces hearken the days of lettermen jackets, with a modern twist of vinyl appliquéd on the sweatshirts.   “I’m excited to have a collection that has a serious theme to it.  I’m not one to push political agendas, but this is an issue that touches the family and the heart.”  The collection features a line of crew neck and hooded sweatshirts that are reminiscent of the collegiate sweater’s of her Uncle Chuck’s time.  To keep with the old tradition of using felt, she appliquéd the shapes with vinyl instead of turning to modern screen printing.

The originals of this collection will hit the runway February 22 in Telluride Colorado at the AIDS Benefit gala and then auctioned off to the community.  Chelsea will also be taking this line along with her spray paint collection to Pool Trade Show in Las Vegas, the week before, where she is being featured as one of several designers from Portland.

For more information:

Shop online:  http://www.smashingdarling.com/store/erhart

Telluride AIDS Benefit:  http://www.aidsbenefit.org/home

Pool Trade Show:  http://www.pooltradeshow.com/

Erhart Street Wear:  http://www.erhartstreetwear.com

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