CATE SPENCER

“I don’t like to feel plants in water. It bothers me.” The irony escaped Cate Spencer as she spoke those words to those gathered around to watch her photoshoot, as she is always wrapped in a plant tattoo that extends around her body, and she was, literally, standing in water.

The water she stood in was the Atlantic Ocean. The setting was a photo shoot during the annual KCFW Adventures Caribbean cruise.

The setting was starkly different than her everyday life in Iowa. Cate, you see, is a farm hand. Kansas City Fashion Week models come from every conceivable background. On any given runway there will be models whose day job may be physician, accountant, business manager or student. In that respect, Cate’s background is similar to many other models who take to the runway, but her history and culture have taken her on a most unusual path to Fashion. After losing her mother young in life, Cate and her brother were raised by her father. Being raised in an all-male environment impacted her life and gave her a perspective that has served her well in her journey. Her father and brother taught her “independence” above all. The home was filled with love, but also the expectation for Cate to work hard, be selfreliant, and focus on her goals. Cate applied those principles as a high school student when she began power lifting competitively. Power lifting isn’t extremely common for high school women, and Cate was unable to find a suitable competitive group that challenged her. After looking at all options, she chose the most competitive group of athletes around to train with – her high school Varsity football team! This future model spent the last two years of her high school training with – and competing with – the Varsity football team. The football team challenged her and pushed her to success, as she attended college on a student-athlete scholarship for powerlifting.

After an injury cut her athletic career short and she returned home, she maintained her rigorous workout regimen as she settled into her daily existence as a bookkeeper and general farm hand for a large family farm. Soon thereafter, as she developed her online portfolio and began to attract attention, her life was changed when it was suggested she may enjoy modeling.

Not knowing anyone involved with KCFW, Cate drove down to a casting. To her surprise she made the roster and was selected by more than one designer.

“Modeling in KCFW has been a dream. It has changed my life” she said.

KCFW celebrates each and every model who graces our runway. Like Cate, each has their own unique path in their modeling journey. Whether an accountant, student or farm hand, once they get on the runway, they are all referred to with the same word – model.

UNTITLED

ARUNKUMAR,photography

SHIANNMILLER,EVAVONSCHLEMMER, CORYBONNER,model ???,,clothing

KANSASCITYFASHIONWEEK,production

Kansas City Fashion Week is a nexus of fashion professionals. As a founding memberoftheCouncilofFashionDesignersofAmerica,Inc.’s“CFDAConnects” program,KCFWfeatureslocal,national,andinternationaldesignersduringtwo full weeks of premier runway shows, enabling designers to collaborate with seasonedstylists,make-upartists,models,andphotographerstopresenttheir collectionsinthemostprofessionalatmosphereimaginable.

Kansas City has a rich history in the fashion industry. In the late 1940s, Kansas City's Garment District employed over 4,000 people and boasted that 1 out of every7womenintheUnitedStatespurchasedgarmentsmadeinKansasCity. Inthesuccessfulproductionofovertwenty-twofashionweekseasons,

KCFW has helped bring Kansas City national attention as a fashion industry hubonceagain. Ledbyanexperiencedteamoffashionindustryprofessionals and event planning specialists, KCFW planners set the standard for fashion eventproduction. ThroughpartnershipswiththeMidwest'sleadingcompanies, KCFW continues to serve as a marketing and showcase collaboration for all thoseinvolvedinfashionindustrybusinesses.