Moonlight illuminated the deteriorating pavement of East 71st Street on Tuesday, Oct. 18, as heels clicked and platform boots stomped along the road. 

As the old factory building at the end of the street came into view, the bass vibrating from speakers upstairs pulsed through the earth. The once abandoned building now overflowed with more than 300 people, each arriving as the most expressive version of themselves. 

The occasion was MurdaMental Fashion Runway – a show featuring live performances from musicians, models in pieces created by local designers, art vendors and an act from a hypnotist and magician. 

Liev Williamson, a junior public relations major at CSU, managed PR brand strategy and model direction for the event. He said the show wasn’t just for entertainment – it was an opportunity for connection, networking and cultivating community in Cleveland’s fashion scene.

“We’re not just having a show for entertainment,” Williamson said. “It’s a place where creatives can get together and meet each other. It’s a service to anyone who has a creative mind in Cleveland.”

Models hit the runway in more than 30 looks from seven local designers: Murdamental, Punkboysbrand, Highland Throwbacks, Suckerpunch, $herbyCLE, FaultGear, and She.Wolf. Each look offered something distinct, from camouflage outfits to matching silk sets and oversized angel wings. 

Williamson said an event of that scale was a first for him and for many of the models who participated. Under his guidance, they practiced their walk and prepared to step onto the runway in front of a crowd. 

“A lot of them have never walked a runway before,” he said. “It’s a very nerve-wracking thing, because you’re going to be walking in front of hundreds of people.” 

Katelyn DiGiacomo, a senior publication relations major at CSU, was recruited by Williamson to model for the first time at MurdaMental. Draped in earthy greens and browns, with fishnets over her wrists and a layer of black on her eyelids, she made her runway debut.

DiGiacomo had just three weeks to prepare after Williamson brought her on board. 

“I had never walked before,” she said. “I would literally be at work, and I’m like, ‘Everyone, watch me strut!’.”

After the show, as she stepped away from the flashes of the cameras and the focused gaze of the crowd, the adrenaline faded - leaving her with a feeling of pride.

“It felt really good. I was really proud of myself,” DiGiacomo said. “I just felt really, really cool.”

Her pride wasn’t only for herself, but for the collective of creatives who are crafting something new in the often overlooked corners of Cleveland.  

“Seeing it come alive, it was everything I expected it to be. Everyone worked really hard,” DiGiacomo said. “It was a super unique experience, like nothing I’ve been through before.”

For DiGiacomo, MurdaMental revealed a side of Cleveland she hadn’t known existed, a thriving underground fashion scene quietly gaining momentum. 

“It’s so underground right now just because no one’s looking for it,” she said. “I think I got comfortable with the thought that Cleveland doesn’t have a fashion scene, but like, of course we do.”

MurdaMental not only spotlighted an emerging creative culture, but connected local designers, photographers and artists of all kinds. For DiGiacomo, it opened her eyes to what’s possible through a little collaboration and community. 

“It’s a good chance to not only meet people, but know that there are so many creative people in Cleveland that are open to doing things like this,” DiGiacomo said. “Trying to make the Cleveland fashion scene a thing.”

Fostering connection within the underground scene was one of the show’s main goals according to Talon, the 19-year-old Cleveland designer and creative mind behind MurdaMental. For him, the event was intended as both a networking opportunity and a culmination of art, music, fashion and even magic. 

“I wanted to bring something that Cleveland doesn’t have, which is fashion already, but combining music, art, vendors, everything,” Talon said. “We could sit in our basement making clothes, post, and wait for someone to find us. But we’re creating a space where it’s appreciated by other true artists.”

Talon said his focus of creating high-quality pieces from scratch is meditative and essential for him.

“It genuinely makes me happy, it’s my sacred space sitting at the sewing machine, hearing the motor go and the stitches,” Talon said. “It keeps me alive.”

The opportunity to showcase his passion to a crowd of more than 300 began with an idea, after Williamson approached him about featuring designs from MurdaMental in a fashion show - a first for both of them. Talon had hosted a successful art show in the mostly-abandoned warehouse building on East 71st the previous summer, and he knew it would be the perfect place to collaborate. 

“I prompted the idea to the owner, and he was more than willing and excited,” Talon said. “So it was go-time. I started building the carpet for the runway, hanging up all the curtains for the dressing room and cleaning the entire floor.”

Using the space came with one condition, the magician and hypnotist who lived on the property with his three pet goats had to be guaranteed a spot on the lineup, a detail that fit right into Talon’s vision for a show more diverse than the average runway event. Under the dim lights of the industrial space, the magician closed out the night. 

“There’s something different about the magician,” designer and model Avery said. “He’s magnetic. Just like the energy of the building, it can draw you in.” 

Avery played an integral role in designing and organizing the multifaceted show, even walking the runway in one of her own looks. For her, the event was a powerful reminder of the roots of creativity and craftsmanship.

“Although it seems like these skills and trades have kind of been lost in translation because of modernness or simplicity, it’s about being able to make something with your hands,” Avery said. “Where it all started.”

The momentum from October’s MurdaMental Fashion Runway will continue with the next showcase on Dec. 6, followed by a New Year’s Eve rave. December’s event will take place at Negative Space studio in the Asian Town Center, featuring designs from MurdaMental, Suckerpunch.3000 and Drmvzn, as well as performances from Krazie Houze Recordz musicians. 

The theme is “Yin and Yang,” exploring the “eternal dance of opposites - light and shadow, chaos and serenity, strength and surrender.” 
Tickets start at $10, and can be purchased on Eventbrite.