Morgan Grabarz steps off a fashion runway in New York City and into a quiet coffee shop in New Hope. At least, it seems that way, as she brings an aura of glamour to an otherwise dreary afternoon.
Grabarz looks dressed for an evening out. She wears a fitted sheer black shirt with sleeves ending in large luxurious faux fur cuffs; a boldly patterned plush vest; checked shorts; and tall black boots. Her outfit screams “fashion runway.”
Grabarz is an emerging fashion designer who will this weekend walk down a runway in New York’s star-studded biannual event: New York Fashion Week. For an emerging fashion designer like Grabarz, this is an opportunity to present her collection to the world.
On Saturday, Grabarz will show her Fall/Winter 2024 collection in Fashion Week’s Upcoming Designer Show. The event will be held at Dom Lounge, a Park Avenue cocktail bar. For those who want a taste of glamour, tickets are available online.
Grabarz will showcase a glamorous collection of faux fur coats, dreamy gowns, and her signature fur cuff top that flew off the rack this season. Grabarz offers fun, playful and sexy designs for customers of all ages. Their playfulness belies the intensity and determination of an artist who, at 23 years old, already holds a bachelor’s degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and an MBA from New York University.
Grabarz’s designs are ambitious and daring. She calls herself “a little crazy” for intentionally ignoring the prescribed process to create designs for a show.
Her process, she confesses, is “not correct” and “not at all what they teach in design school.” She explains, “but I do what feels right for me. I just start designing things, and they don’t necessarily fit together. For me, this is a free-form process.”
Grabarz relies on intuition and allows connections between clothing pieces to emerge in nonlinear ways.
Listening to her gut led Grabarz to build a business in New Hope, where she returned during the pandemic to lean into the community that has supported her fashion journey since age 5.
Fashion, Grabarz believes, belongs as much in small towns as in big cities. She organized the first-ever fashion show at Lambertville House in September 2023. It was the biggest show Grabarz has organized, but not her first or her last.
It featured fashions from six local designers.
“It was an amazing evening filled with joy,” Lambertville-based photographer Jay Garrison remarked.
Ashley Roesler, Director of Sales at Lambertville House, agreed, “There was a vibrant display of diverse talents, and the show fostered togetherness and community spirit.”
The sold-out event raised funds for a cause close to Grabarz’s heart: the Jim Hamilton Shad Fest Scholarship. It is awarded annually to an area resident pursuing a degree in the fine or performing arts. Grabarz was a two-time recipient of this scholarship, once as a graduating high school senior and again as an undergraduate student.
Grabarz said she expresses love for her community in many ways. In October, she achieved a longtime personal goal of “dressing a celebrity.” The Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope runs an iconic production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show annually.
This past fall, Frankie J. Grande, the charismatic performer and half-brother of Ariana Grande, played the leading role of Frank-N-Furter. Grabarz custom-designed the motorcycle jacket he wore on closing night and to the after-party.
“This jacket,” Grande gushed to his social media followers, “is EVERYTHING.”
Grande’s reaction to his jacket is, in fact, why Grabarz does what she does.
“I want people to feel special in my clothes,” she said. “What makes the hard work worth it is the moment when people put on a piece of clothing I’ve made, they look in the mirror, and their demeanor changes. They smile, dance, spin around, and you can tell they’re happy.” She continues, “I just want to make people feel beautiful.”
When asked about future plans, Grabarz says she has so many it’s scary. “But,” she continues, “I think your dreams are supposed to scare you to a certain extent.”
Wherever she goes, it’ll be in pursuit of her million wild, glittery dreams, bursting with sparkles, ruffles, feathers, and, of course, beauty.
Grabarz’s clothing is available on her website, at Sojourner in Lambertville, at FIT’s Style Shop in New York, and at Rebel Supply Co. in Asbury Park NJ. Tickets for the Upcoming Designer Show can be purchased through a link on Grabarz’s website: www.morgangrabarz.com.
Beth Zarret writes occasional columns about the people and places in her beloved towns of New Hope and Lambertville.
Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.
