This article contains information about domestic violence. If you or someone you know has been assaulted, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 for free, 24/7 support.
MADISON, Wis.— The founder of a Dane County domestic violence consulting company found a new and unique way to support the men and women affected by unthinkable abuse.
She’s empowering others to strut down a runway in a fashion show. The event will “celebrate & support survivors of domestic violence who have turned their pain into production."
The show features models who are survivors themselves.
“So these models, I wanted to make sure that we gave them a day that they felt great about themselves,” Brandie de la Rosa said.
De la Rosa founded E3inspire. She said she struggled with domestic violence and abuse about two decades ago.
“And it was a very traumatizing time in my life, one that changed the course of my life forever... but that’s not going to define me and that’s what this whole show is about,” she said. “It didn’t define you. It’s just something that you went through.”
West Towne Mall’s Bo2s Lady Design owner, Tanya Webb, also experienced domestic violence. Webb said that’s why she felt compelled to provide the catwalk-worthy looks.
“We don’t have a platform, or we’re not given a platform, often to show that we have overcame: Overcame pain and hurt… and came out on the other side,” Webb said. “And so this is an opportunity to kind of just show up and prove to the world that you can make it, if we come together and just kind of share those stories.
De la Rosa said putting the show together was a labor of love, but well worth all the months of planning.
“Letting them feel confident,” de la Rosa said. “They feel good, with their held up high, and not down like they did when they were going through the situation— which we also often do as a survivor. We kind of look down; we cower body. And I want the show to be high energy, great spirit and just, ‘I’m here. I’ve arrived and this is what I’m doing. It didn’t hold me back.’”
At E3inspire, de la Rosa works to help companies and organizations across the country to support employees touched by the trauma.
One in four women and one in seven men are survivors of domestic abuse. De la Rosa said domestic violence can affect people from all walks of life.
“You’ve got them around you whether you’ve seen it or not,” de la Rosa said.
The fashion show will be held March 24 at the Goodman Center. Profits will be donated to Little John’s Kitchens and Briarpatch Youth Services in the Madison area.
De la Rosa said she’s on a mission to show that kindness is always in fashion.
Learn more about the event, here.