Promotional Video

“Take it to the Runway” Fundraiser Ticket Link

I taught myself to sew when I was 10.

In all the years since, I never once found a bridal collection built for love stories like mine, or like the ones all around me. Not for two grooms at the altar. Not for the bride who wants a sharper shoulder and no veil. Not for anyone whose love story the wedding industry has always overlooked.

So I am building it myself. And I would love for you to build it with me.

My name is Justin, founder of Velarde. What started as face masks for my neighbors during the pandemic grew into something I never expected: costumes, wedding dresses, pageant gowns, looks for stage and television, worn by clients in Las Vegas and around the world. I have spent years dressing people for the biggest moments of their lives. Now I want to build something of my own.

I am launching my first bridal collection. A line that celebrates queer love and reimagines what bridal fashion can be. These are looks that move between masculine and feminine, made to be worn by anyone, by any body, no matter how you identify. Built for the queer community first, and beautiful on absolutely everyone, at a wedding, on a red carpet, anywhere a person wants to feel like the truest version of themselves.

Here is where you come in.

This collection does not exist yet, and your gift is what turns sketches into something real. Patterns. Samples. The first dress someone can actually slip into and spin around in. Your support goes toward the work and the people who bring a collection to life: fabric, collaborators, photographers, the website where the world will see it, and the manufacturing that gets these designs to the people waiting for them.

This November, the collection debuts at Vegas Fashion Week. When those looks walk the runway, you will have been the reason they made it there.

And there is more. Thanks to the incredible performer community here in Las Vegas, we are throwing a fundraising show called Take it to the Runway, hosted by Gipsy Nightclub on August 14th. Doors at 6pm, show at 7pm. Expect dancers, singers, circus acts, burlesque, and a lineup pulled from across the Vegas Strip. Tickets go on sale July 1st, and I would love to see you there.

I have spent my whole life making things for other people’s biggest moments. This is me asking for help with mine. Thank you for believing in it, and in me.