Barragan is launching the
Denver Fashion Truck with his wife Desiree Gallegos in late May. The truck will stock an inventory of largely local and handmade clothing and accessories, as well as some vintage fashion, and set up shop in hip neighborhoods and at special events, using Twitter to broadcast the truck's whereabouts.
"The interior is almost finished," says Barragan. "It's modern meets rustic."
"We've been meeting with artists and designers for the last four months," he says. "We're focused on the launch."
The $1,000 cash prize "is awesome, because we just got a new engine for the truck," says Barragan. "Mechanics aren't really my thing."
Center for Innovation Director Mick Jackowski calls the Denver Fashion Truck "a pretty cool concept." He says the program aims to reward entrepreneurs across the entire MSU Denver student body rather than bear down on business-oriented departments.
"Every year, it's just stuff that blows me away," says Jackowski. "These people make us look good."
Other winners include Luna Cash of
Tetra Arts, Aaron Grimes of Better Choice Foods, Jonathan Fessler of
Fessler Masonry and Catherine Schwab of Rise n' Rise Entertainment. As Schwab is in Zambia (Rise n' Rise promotes Zambian artists), "She Skyped in for the event," says Jackowski.
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