FROM PROJECT RUNWAY TO NYFW,
Philadelphia Designer Nancy Volpe Beringer Brings Inclusivity to the Runway
HOW VOLPE BERINGER’S LATE ARRIVAL INTO THE INDUSTRY— AND HER RESULTING ECLECTIC VARIETY OF LIFE EXPERIENCES—ARE SHAKING UP THE FASHION WORLD.
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hen thinking of the fashion industry, kindness typically isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. To consumers, the fashion industry is notorious for propagating unrealistic body expectations. In the manufacturing world, fast fashion necessitates from miserable sweatshop conditions and steep environmental costs. And for the designers, anyone in the industry will tell you fashion is a cutthroat business. Heidi Klum reminded us of this fact in every episode of Project Runway she hosted with her signature phrase: “As you know, in fashion, one day you’re in. And the next day, you’re out.” But local Philadelphia designer and finalist of Bravo’s Project Runway Nancy Volpe Beringer staunchly challenges this disconnect. Volpe Beringer’s approach to fashion is rooted in kindness. She creates for everyone; no specific face or body exists in her mind as she designs. This inclusive approach is reflected in her aspirations
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THE WALK MAGAZINE
SPRING 2020
Whether on a reality TV show or in the comfort of her studio apartment, Philadelphia designer Nancy Volpe Beringer incorporates kindness into everything she does. Now, she challenges the fashion industry to do the same. as a designer. “My goal is to be a relevant designer,” Volpe Beringer tells me over Zoom while in her studio at home. “And that’s…empowering people through my fashions and through supporting their organizations.” In her apartment near Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Volpe Beringer sits a few feet from her sewing machine, where she can gaze upon a variety of people—diverse in age, gender, ethnicity—race up the Rocky steps. For a designer, her outfit is subdued. She wears yoga pants and a bright orange sweatshirt that reads “new beginnings.” But her accessories, which include snakeskin glasses, mis-matched feather and star earrings, and a NOH8 [No Hate] bracelet, are a fun, unexpected, hodge-podge of style. At 64 years old, Volpe Beringer became the oldest contestant ever on Project Runway. She didn’t even start designing until 61 years old. But her late arrival to the industry—and all the life experience that came with it—led her to become the groundbreaking designer she is today.
