Diva Kelly Dempsey Releases RACK ADDIK Line

Boston bred Kelly Dempsey is a self-taught fashion designer and former contestant on Season 14 of “Project Runway” where she landed runner-up. She is the founder and creative force behind Rack Addik, a newly launched clothing line focusing on fashion forward street-wear. Dempsey embraces fashion as a creative outlet and as a child, her mother ran a craft store out of their home in Western MA. She spent countless hours watching her mother create anything from wind-chimes made of forks to custom hand sewn purses. Kelly felt a desire to create at a young age, and her original true-to-self vision is distinguished through her consistently eclectic design motifs. A product of a creative space, her visceral instinct for fashion is quickly making a name for herself throughout the fashion world. 1. What are you aspirations for 2017? My aspirations are to expand my brand to retail beyond on my online website. Keep building and growing! 2. Do you have any big projects in the works? I am constantly creating new collections and looking to do some even bigger things this year! Always working on big projects but nothing I can mention right now :) 3. Are you launching a spring collection and if so what is the inspiration behind it? Right now, I am getting ready to show my Fall Winter 2017 collection in February and hoping to pick up some contracts with major retailers out of it. I am waiting to see if I will be showing during NYFW right now, but I will have spring clothing up on my site before that! 4. Are you doing any fashion weeks or are there any ones on your radar to show? I find out this week if I am showing my FW2017 collection in NYC for fashion week in February. I am also doing a fashion show Saturday the 28th of January in RI for Runway For A Cure. (flyer attached) 5. What is the hottest item listed on your website? Fanny Packs! They are back and in full swing, I would say to be specific: Plenty of Fish in the Sequin. 6. What is the story behind your style and what inspires you? I am a huge hip hop music lover and I think that that is a big inspiration for my designs. I have always loved to wear bright funky and fun colors because I really think the way you dress reflects your personality. I never really worried about what anyone thought about my bold choice of colors and prints and I think if you like something then you should follow yourself and not worry what other people think. I am a total girly girl too so I figured I needed to add a bit of glam to my street wear. I believe there is a serious market for glamours street wear and I am ready to bring it! When people ask what inspire me, I find that to be the hardest question, because I think that my inspiration is deep inside me and I can not tell if it is a curse or a gift that I can never shut my brain off. I am constantly coming up with designs and ideas in my head, but I would never change that.

Dempsey is set to take on 2017 and you can dig in more on the designer by visiting her website where you can also shop her current collections and grab a high in demand fanny pack at www.rackaddik.com.

Model: Sierra Colleen

Photo: Dana Tarr Photography