Denver-based fashion designer Moss Lair’s debut collection, “Creations of the Night,” is a thrifted dream — or nightmare — of monster-inspired pieces in shades of black and white. 

A nod to the theme of the upcoming Carbondale Arts Fashion Show, “Camera Obscura,” the collection captures the creepy atmosphere of black and white horror movies in imaginative, and comfortable, wearable art.

“I was really inspired by old monster movies, like ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Dracula,'” Lair said. “I really love vampires and creatures and I am really interested in character design and creature design.”

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Made of thrifted clothes carefully layered, sewn and crocheted together, the six-piece collection is more than an example of sustainable fashion — it’s a representation of what it means to create a unique identity, lovingly constructed one piece at a time. 

“I was really inspired by ‘Frankenstein’ and piecing all these different elements together,” Lair said. “On a personal note, I am a trans man, so I sort of relate to a lot of these creatures and monsters in my own personal journey as a trans person.

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“I relate to piecing together these parts of myself,” Lair added.”I vibe a lot with customizing your ‘avatars’ and doing whatever you want with your own body to feel more comfortable in this world.”

Lair’s transition has been an integral part of his journey as a budding fashion designer. 

His cloth creations are a recent addition to his multifaceted artistic pursuits. From painting to installation art — like the psychic shop “Magic Hollow” in Meow Wolf Denver — Lair’s artistic career shows a steady progression from painted characters to wearable clothes.

“For a while I didn’t realize how important transitioning was for me because it really allowed me to discover myself not only through my art, but to discover my love for fashion design,” Lair said. “In (‘Magic Hollow’), that love is in that room and it really exists there. It really gave me this safe space to explore myself and explore my fashion.”

Lair began his career as a painter before transitioning to installation art and dipping his toes in fashion design.

“I’m not really one to pick a (medium) and stick to it,” Lair said. “That’s a reason that I was really drawn to doing more installation art because you get to use a bit of painting, a bit of sculpture, a bit of everything to create an atmosphere in a space.” 

In 2023, Lair began crocheting as a way to pass the time while recovering from top surgery. He made clothes for himself and his partner, and his work soon garnered interest from others. 

He participated in his first fashion show, Meow Wolf’s “Absolute Rubbish: Bloom,” in April 2024. 

“I ended up really falling in love with it after I did my first fashion show,” he said. “It was a really eye-opening experience for me because it made me realize how much I enjoy making clothes.”

Lair still incorporates crochet into his work. Mixing his hand-crafted patterns with thrifted materials, the artist builds his designs one used tie and found scarf at a time. 

His favorite piece in his debut collection is “Swamp Fairy.”

“It was really unexpected because it got this wizarding vibe to it and it turned out to be really ethereal and swampy,” Lair said. “The vibes of it were so correct for me, and I just really love how it turned out.”

Decoratively draped and flowy, the black and white piece is an arrangement of thrifted scarves and crotchet. 

“I incorporated a bunch of techniques that I really enjoy using, such as crocheting,” Lair said. “I really like to do this pattern that’s inspired by top surgery scars. It’s this jagged, organic shape that I use a lot within my work and I experimented with painting on these doilies that I found at the thrift store.”

The experimental creation encapsulates Lair’s artistic style — fantastical and spooky with a sprinkle of dark romantic and gothic influences. 

It also intertwines unexpected materials to create something uniquely beautiful.

“I really vibe with taking all of these mismatched pieces that I found from the thrift store — I was using scarves and ties and stuff like that — and piecing it together, making it this really beautiful, harmonious outfit,” Lair said. “(It’s) made of things that you wouldn’t really expect to go together, but they go together beautifully. I really like that.”

Lair’s new collection will be featured in the sold-out 14th Annual Carbondale Fashion Show, “Camera Obscura,” March 6-8.