When Carol Ann Wachter relocated to Boulder five years ago from Manhattan, she wasn’t sure what was going to become of her fledgling fashion brand. She had been designing and selling women’s hats and coats and clothing in such stores as Barney’s New York, as well as in independent boutiques.

But after taking some time to work on her fine-art projects and refocus her business — not to mention getting married and having a child — Wachter is producing a small, high-end women’s fashion line.

She designs fabrics and fashions them into designs that are reminiscent of ’20s and ’30s styles. Fluttery sleeves, dropped waists and details like little pleats are signatures.

Wachter, who studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, says she’s a proponent of “slow fashion” and disdains the idea of trends coming and going with the seasons.

“Sometimes I’m ahead of the curve. I’ll design something, but it won’t catch on for a while,” she said while leading a tour of her Boulder studio. Her artsy atelier is a garage that she’s filled with books, a dress form where she drapes fabric and a table where she sketches and cuts pattern pieces. Her latest fixation is with leaf-shaped pieces of leather reminiscent of the bits of nature she picks up on her morning walks.

Wachter is among 14 Colorado designers being honored Sept. 6 when Fashion Group International Denver hosts its biennial Rising Stars gala at the McNichols Building in Civic Center. The event will feature a runway show of looks from designers creating everything from children’s wear to wedding gowns, men’s custom clothing to jewelry. A couple of retailers, a floral designer and interior designer also are being recognized. One of the 14 will be named the Rising Star for 2013, based on presentations made earlier this month to a group of judges that included local fashion media.

The competition is designed to single out a company that has a shot at becoming the next nationally known brand from Colorado, said Carol Engel-Enright, regional director for the Fashion Group International of Denver, a professional organization.

“People are taking the fashion industry seriously in Colorado,” said Engel-Enright, who teaches design classes and runs the internship program at Colorado State University’s Design & Merchandising department.

In recent years, local designers have been getting more professional guidance and development through such resources as FGI, the Denver Design Incubator and other groups that are helping them learn more about the industry.

“They’re starting to understand what it takes to have a professional, commercial line, with national marketing and manufacturing,” Engel-Enright said.

Young designers tend to put all their efforts into creating a line and putting on a fashion show. “But if you can’t produce the units, nothing is going to come of it,” she said.

FGI has been aiding designers by doing workshops on topics such as manufacturing, pricing and production.

So what makes Colorado a state on the verge of being a national fashion player? “Micro enterprises want to stay — people love to live and play here — so they’re figuring out what it takes to make something commercial,” according to Engel-Enright.

Wachter loves the Colorado lifestyle, but admits it took some getting used to when she moved here with Scott Prindle, who’s now her husband. He’s a partner and chief technology officer at Made, the Boulder marketing agency and e-commerce site devoted to American-made products.

The hardest part of being a fashion designer in Colorado is being at a distance from the sample makers, fabric sources and factories in New York that make her clothes, Wachter said. She also has fewer boutiques where she can sell her line.

“In New York, there are so many little boutiques. I’d wear one of my dresses or tunics into a store, and they’d ask me about it and I’d start selling there,” she said.

But that’s starting to happen here as well, she said. “All of a sudden, Denver’s really blossoming. The whole fashion and art scene is expanding.”

Suzanne S. Brown: 303-954-1697, sbrown@denverpost.com or twitter.com/suzannebro

Rising Stars

Among those featured at the Sept. 6 gala will be:

Deedee Vicory, D’Lola Couture, bridal and evening wear, dlolacouture.com

Anne Fanganello, AnnaFesta, women’s ready to wear, annafesta.com

Carol Ann Wachter, Carol Ann Wachter, women’s ready to wear, facebook.com/carolannwchter

Rachel Hurst, Rachel Marie Hurst, women’s ready to wear, rachelmariehurst.com

Jan Erikson Janska, active/outdoor wear, janska.com

Ashlee Coln, Cheeky Aprons, accessories, cheeky-aprons.com

Vicki Sigg, Pixie Girl, children’s wear, pixie-girl.com

Jung Park, MetroBoom. men’s wear, metroboom.com

Susan Dillon, Kitty Mae Millinery, accessories, kittymaemillinery.net

Arthur Williams, Arthur Williams Design, floral/fragrance, babylonfloral.com

Sarah Gregori, Dear Margot, jewelry, dearmargot.com

Vanessa Barcus, Goldyn, retail experience, shopgoldyn.com

Melissa & Jeremy Oster, Oster Jewelers, retail experience

Pam Kelker, Castles Home Décor, interior design, castleshomedecor.com

Rising Star Runway Gala

Designers and retailers will be spotlighted when Fashion Group Internaional and Dress for Success Denver host a show and gala at 6 p.m. Sept. 6 at McNichols Civic Center Building, 144 W. Colfax Ave.

Ticket prices vary, starting at $75 for general admission (students are $30) and up to $500 for a VIP table for four. Purchase at denver.fgi.org or blacktie-colorado.com/calendar. Proceeds benefit FGI’s scholarship fund and educational programs. More at risingstardenver.org