XCHANGE · № 1
To the eleven who walked the Silk Road runway,
First — thank you. Walking a runway takes nerve, especially the first time, and the eleven of you brought it. I was the one with the microphone that night, asking what you were carrying and what changed when you stepped off. I’ve been ruminating on your answers ever since — so I wanted to put down in writing what I watched happen, because what you did for each other is the whole reason I’m writing. this letter’s for the eleven of you — but anyone’s welcome to read over your shoulder.
Almost every one of you told me the same thing, without my asking: you got braver by watching each other walk. Not from a coach, not from a class — from whoever went down the runway just before you. One of you said it exactly —
“I didn’t know what was possible until I saw someone else do it.”
— and a few passes later, someone else: “did you see everyone doing more twirls? I can do that too.” By the final walk you were bolder than your first.
It wasn’t only the nerve. One of you, who’s walked the polished high-fashion shows, told me “seeing people model before me relieved a lot of my stress… it calmed me down.” Another: “the rest of the models were so relaxed and confident — that energy kind of passed on to me too.” The room did what no pep talk could. One of you called it a “snowballing effect” — each person being themselves giving the next person permission to be themselves too. And more than once, some version of this: “not every place makes you feel like you belong — but here I feel right at home.” the room did what no pep talk could.
There’s a name for what you did — I studied it back at Stanford.
You didn't get braver because someone taught you. You got braver because you saw someone else do it first.
You got braver by watching each other, and that’s the whole engine of learning in community — you watch, you try, you ask, and someone notices you first. That engine keeps working as long as you keep the community and the space to practice.
At Drex, we call this a Circle — and in partnership with the Fashion XChange team, we’ve created the XChange Models Circle for you all to continue to grow in this craft as a community. Over the next five months, there will be a Silk Runway, hosted by Fashion XChange, every second Friday for you to come practice your craft. Like last time, you’ll walk, answer some reflection questions, and have moments photographed through your practice.
And with all of this material, your Circle creates an issue of a fun & scrappy Zine to capture the magazine-worthy moments from practicing your craft. Each Silk Runway show will have its own issue, and over the six Silk Runway shows you’ll develop a record of who you’re becoming, that you can share with others. We can’t wait to share the first issue with you. for you — a record of who you’re becoming, never a résumé.
Like one of you said on the night, “each time I walked I felt more confident” — so I, along with the Fashion XChange team, invite you to come back, and watch yourself grow issue by issue. Invite others who want to grow in the craft of modeling to the next Silk Runway event, too.
You already have the gift, the nerve, and — as Friday proved — each other. By continuing to show up, you’ll keep going at something you already reached for, in community with others. We hope to see you in two weeks.
Warmly,
Chielo — written in partnership with Fashion XChange.
DREX · XCHANGE