RISE & BLOOM 2025: Where Fashion Meets Healing
On a warm spring evening in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Fashion transcended the runway. RISE & BLOOM 2025 was not simply about clothing — it became a space where art, justice, and healing converged. Inside Family Reentry CRJ's RISE Program for formerly incarcerated women, their stories will take center stage, pulsing with tales of redemption, resilience, and rebirth.
This year, restoration, empowerment, and style will come together in a way that few fashion events ever dare to attempt.
A Collaboration with Purpose
For the second year, Family Reentry CRJ partnered with Sixty by Vernice, the Arte-to-Wear label of designer and artist Vernice Holmes. Known for her storytelling DreamCoats, Vernice has been working hands-on with the women of RISE, guiding them in designing garments made from "leftovers." Each piece becomes a canvas of transformation — a reclaiming of voice through Fashion.
One woman, Billie, was initially hesitant to join. However, through the design sessions, she created an athletic jersey — boldly displaying the word "RISE" along with the dates 1996–2022, the years she was released from and entered prison. Her design told the world: My past doesn't define me. My story isn't over.
The Theme: Leftovers
This year's theme, Leftovers, was inspired by the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 — and the disciples collecting what remained. Nothing was wasted. In the same way, no life, no story, no woman is wasted.
An Audience of Impact
The show draws a potent mix of voices: Family Reentry board members, donors, and sponsors; community organizers and justice advocates; designers, artists, and influencers; along with families and curious onlookers. Together, they will witness 300+ guests cheering, celebrating, and rising to their feet as the women of RISE transform the runway into a stage of courage.
Each garment tells a story of overcoming, reclaiming, and daring to bloom again.
Beyond the Fabric
What sets Rise & Bloom apart isn't just the garments. It's the courage of these women, stepping onto a runway for the first time, refusing to be defined by their past. It's the resilience that shines under the lights, inspiring us all to rise above our challenges.
As Vernice Holmes said during her closing remarks:
"This show is about transformation — not just in the clothes, but in the women. It's about being seen, being celebrated, and showing the world that your past doesn't define your future."
Special Guest: Dee Rivera
This year, Dee Rivera, powerhouse producer of Hamptons Fashion Week and Times Square Fashion Week, will introduce Rise & Bloom. Dee is a trailblazer in merging high Fashion with community causes, and her career spans over two decades of producing runway experiences that put emerging voices on global stages. Her presence ensures that Rise & Bloom is not just a local movement, but a moment with international resonance, and you are a part of it.
Fashion. Music. Healing. Community.
The night features:
Designers: Equals Human, Style Strizz, Power Pieces, MCheretic, and Sixty by Vernice
Live Music by The Band
Sip & Shop Marketplace with designers and local vendors
Food, Fun, & Connection — while directly supporting Family Reentry CRJ
What's Next?
The success of Rise & Bloom is sparking momentum. Conversations are already underway about bringing the show to other cities, expanding mentorship programs, and building art-to-wear social enterprises that inspire fundraising, practical impact, and therapeutic art & Fashion. Wherever it goes, Rise & Bloom stays rooted in one belief: everyone deserves a second chance.
Join the Movement
Are you a designer, stylist, educator, or simply someone who believes in second chances? There's a place for you here. Donate fabric. Mentor a participant. Sponsor a show. Or clap and cheer in the audience—every act of support matters.
👉 Learn more at www.crjustice.org or follow @familyreentrycrj.
Because when we invest in people — especially those pushed to the margins — we all bloom.
