Color and cuteness punch you in the face when you walk in the door of this independent Denver Boutique. Three little rooms arranged in such a way that you can get into every nook and cranny. There are handmade clothes of color: Vintage and handmade accessories all over the walls, as well as local artwork. <
strong>Tina Jolliffe and Vincent Fasano run this boutique/artist studio. There is a shop in the front, and a sweat shop in the back. Tina is a darling, pretty little designer that has been all over the Denver underground fashion scene for the last seven years. She has Made a nice dent in the small world of DIY Denver fashion. Her boyfriend, Vinny,, has been an artist in many mediums for the last twenty years, and with his studio in the back of Fast Geek, he’s still going strong. On a lonely Monday afternoon Truly Rejected got to hang out with the couple and their goofy sweetheart of a basset hound. Tina talked about her boutique, while running back and forth changing clothes for the photo shoot Hesh was doing for this article. – Lisa
Fast Geek acquired their newest location at 321 W. 11th Avenue April of 2011.
"We love it. We were originally in a warehouse in the highlands and it was kind of a shared communal space. It was a great place to start. We realized we needed something more permanent and consistent. More of a destination place. Unfortunately, we have other “day” jobs to go to and we can’t just do what we love. So, Vinny holds down Fast Geek when I can’t, and the other way around. He is also the reason why we are able to have so much great music for sale, as well as the local art. He helps out at the shop a fuck ton more than I thank him for. It’s our place. I truly couldn’t do it without him."
"I love Denver. I like the small city life. There is always something to do. I love the four seasons. It gives me a chance to change up my wardrobe. Vinny and I moved here from Fort Collins almost seven years ago and we love it here. Denver is a great place for new art and DIY fashion, because it is still in a place where the majority of the population appreciates different and unique ideas that are made locally. People are aware of the need to buy locally, and for the most part Denverites are not consumed by labels, brand names, high prices, and status symbols. Everyone can get custom awesomeness without going broke. I think Denver is a great place to be creative and express one’s self, without all of the showy people, high price tags, and pretension that comes with some of the bigger city art and fashion scenes".
I think for the most part the underground fashion scene in Denver is a family, rather than a competition. Everything we all are doing is so different from each other. Pushing each other forward is more important than being competitive. DIY Designers are friendly and always open to help. We collaborate, and invite others into our world. Most of us think that the more of us there are, the bigger impact we will have, so everyone is quick to share an opportunity, or the spotlight. If you haven’t already, you should check out DIBS on Facebook. Megan, who owns Rakun on Santa Fe started it. It’s a small community of locally owned boutiques, so shoppers know where to get all of their unique hand-made items in Denver. Also, check out Denver Hand Made Alliance. It’s a great way for crafters to meet up and get info for markets and other fun stuff. This little community is a friendly one. There are some designers that treat it like a competition here in Denver, but I just try to stay away from them.
There are a lot of great classes and meet up’s in Denver. Tuesday night is open craft night at Fancy Tiger. Rakun has meet ups for the Denver Indie Craft and Design Meet up Group. I, myself, have not had a meet up at Fast Geek, but just recently we had a clothing swap. We will someday again have a craft night. We also have a First Friday party every month, displaying a new artist in the front parlor. We have music, drinks, and a super fantastic time! So come check that out!
I've participated in a number of local fashion markets, but it’s been a while. I did a few Fashion Denver markets. Anything I can do for free, like the Three Kings Punk Rock Flea Market. Basically, any event friends invite me to display my stuff at. One of my favorite, and most recent, markets I did was called The Gathering of the Clouds. It was a three day music festival at City Hall on Broadway. It was fun and had great live music and vendors. I always like to do markets that are surrounded by music, awesome people and, Whelp… a bar! Vinny and I are music lovers, and go to a lot of shows. We spend most of the time in our neighborhood. We live and work in the Baker District. I work at El Diablo and Vinny works at Three Kings. As of lately I haven’t had much time to hang out… and that sucks.