Fashion on four wheels: Haute Chix takes its show on the road

By April Corbin

Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2011 | 3:48 p.m.

Locally owned fashion boutique Haute Chix is expanding, and you can thank the boys of Fukuburger. It may seem strange at first. After all, food and fashion are usually considered mortal enemies—popular opinion wrongly suggests that mastering the latter requires forgoing the former. Still, it was the success of Fukuburger and the other food trucks that raised the question in Haute Chix owner Selena Viskovich’s mind: “If they can do it, why can’t I?”

Thus, this week Las Vegas welcomes its first fashion truck. The mobile mini-store is housed inside a bright turquoise truck, gutted to make room for clothing racks and a few shelves for accessories. Products come from Haute Chix’s two brick-and-mortar boutiques, located in Boca Park and Southern Highlands, and sister store, Cityfied, a men’s and women’s urbanwear shop in the southwest valley. The truck even has a makeshift dressing room—a generator provides continuous cool air.

Viskovich and truck business partner Mandi Staggs will utilize social networks like Twitter the way the food trucks have, and thanks to an agreement with Fuku, they’ll be appearing alongside that truck for a few nights. The long-term plan is to attend First Fridays, farmers’ markets and events like Vegas StrEATS—anything that promotes a sense of community, where people will appreciate the business’s commitment to local designers. The truck will also be available for private events like birthday or bachelorette parties where women might like to shop at their own pace and preferred location. “There are a lot of possibilities for it, really,” says Viskovich, “but, if nothing else, it is great advertising for the stores.”

Still, the partners hope their truck does more than become a clunky, moving billboard. To them, the truck is an opportunity to shape the city, one stop and one visitor at a time. “We aren’t known for our style,” says Viskovich of Las Vegas. “Cities like New York or LA seem to have defined styles. Here, I think fashion is just starting to become important to people, and we are shaping our style. I am excited to be a part of that molding.”