Knoxville Fashion Week: Diane Corey & Kelly Jones - Part 1

The number of looks just increased from five outfits to eight. One model has dropped off the face of the planet and cannot be reached to schedule a fitting. There’s a shriek at the sewing machine because of a difficult piece of leather, and the pliers have gone missing again just when they’re needed for an adjustment. No, I’m not on the set of Project Runway, I’m standing in Diane Corey’s studio amidst the madness and chaos that will eventually lead to one of Knoxville Fashion Week’s most exciting and entertaining runway shows, “Steamy Sneak Peek.”

The mastermind behind the chainmaille side of this partnership is Kelly Jones, owner of Shadow Oak Maille. Originating in medieval times, chainmaille is made from rings of metal woven together to make fabric. The interesting detail about Kelly’s designs is that her chainmaille fabrics and accessories are handwoven one ring at a time. “I wanted to take this Renaissance medium and put a modern twist on it,” says Kelly Jones. “I wanted to make it modern, edgy, and really just make it fashion.”  Spending hours upon hours assembling the chainmaille garments, Kelly has learned that designing with this unique material always leads to something special as the finished product.

Diane Corey of KC Leatherwerks is the brains behind the leather. “Leather is my specialty,” says Diane, who has used leather to create furniture, wall hangings, jewelry and custom work. Her studio in Fountain City includes seven different machines that range from a light home sewing machine to an industrial machine. This year’s Knoxville Fashion Week is Diane’s first time doing a fashion show, and it’s also the first time that she has used leather to create clothing. “Switching back and forth from spandex to heavy leather has been sort of challenging,” says Diane of the experience. “It’s been a real education.”

After designing a custom chainmaille biker jacket for a mutual client in February, Kelly invited Diane to collaborate with her on a new collection. Their vision was steam punk. “We wanted to delve into the world of steam punk in a way no one else has attempted,” says Kelly. They envisioned Old World and Victorian styles, basing some of their ideas on H.G. Wells, the pioneer of steam punk. 

From the beginning, both designers expected for the collection to be a learning experience that would stretch their boundaries. “When I’m designing something, I want to learn,” says Kelly. “I want to bring out a part of myself that I’ve never known before.” Together, they sketched out their ideas, looked in online tutorials and took a trip to Good Will. At Good Will, they purchased some foundational pieces like jackets and bras that they could “cannibalize” to build what they wanted. “Fantasy, sci-fi, and a little Victorian flair all thrown into one,” says Diane, about their collection. They focused on the key elements of steam punk, including gears, steam, leather, ruffles, lace, sleeves, goggles and gloves.

Kelly and Diane are moving at full steam toward a steam punk extravaganza that they’ve planned for June 28 at Paulk & Company near Magnolia in Knoxville. In the meantime, you can catch a preview of their collection at the “Steamy Sneak Peek” Steam Punk Show as part of Knoxville Fashion Week’s Swimwear, Rock n Roll and Menswear runway on Friday, May 3rd at 9:00 PM at Blackstock.

To learn more about these designers, check out KC Leatherworks at http://www.kcleatherwerks.com and Shadow Oak Maille at http://www.shadowoakmaille.com.