Five years ago, if you wanted to find fashion on the north end of Bay View, the Salvation Army was your only option. Not that there's anything wrong with that -- it was, in fact, the jackpot of junk. Today, however, there are so many more options, including the about-to-open Fasten Co-op Clothing Gallery.

Fasten will tie back the curtains on Nov. 25 in storefront space at 2365 S. Howell Ave. A grand opening party is planned from noon to 7 p.m., adding an exclamation point to an already exciting endeavor for co-owner Vanessa Andrew.

"Our goals for the gallery include providing artists with optimal consignment rates, and the public with affordable art," says Andrew, 24.

Andrew and designer/model Christina Perez started Fasten Co-op in 2003. They rented space at the East Side Open Market and hawked their fashions with a few other emerging designers under a big blue tent. Before long, they were organizing fashion shows and establishing themselves as one of Milwaukee's most innovative hives of fashionistas.

"Cooperative marketing efforts by artists are a way to bridge accessibility gaps between artists and the public, and to overcome marketing costs in a world where 'crafts' and 'hobbies' fight to break even," Andrew explains.

Current partners include Andrew (her line is called "Madamchino"), Janelle Schweitzer ("Little Ocean"), Alyssa Schulte ("Neon Danger"), Amy Schoenecker ("Softly Fiercely"), Kathryn Wilson ("Ryn") and Mariette Thomas ("Ride Alice Ride"). The cooperative has a fluctuating number of artists and designers, usually somewhere between 10 to 25, including OnMilwaukee.com's Julie Lawrence. Plus, they are currently looking for new members.

What do the clothes look like? Of course, the styles range dramatically considering each artist has her own unique vision, but in general, the styles combine thrift store randomness with fun, sophisticated fashion.

Andrew grew up in Milwaukee and graduated in May 2005 from UW-Milwaukee with a bachelor's in general arts and a bachelor's of fine art in painting and drawing. She says she taught herself to design clothing in response to to The Gap-happy world of fashion mass production.

Co-op owners chose Bay View for a variety of reasons, including camaraderie with other women who have opened businesses in the area, such as Areka Ikeler from Fashion Ninja, as well as affordability and accessibility.

"Accessibility is our main concern. We also would like to uplift the status of clothes making to Art (with a capital 'a') in the eyes of the public, and bring awareness about Milwaukee's community resources," she says.

Fasten Co-op Clothing Gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday, from noon to 7 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. It will hostess a benefit show and silent auction on Saturday, Dec. 3 at MOCT, 240 E. Pittsburgh St., at 9:30 p.m.

Interested artists should contact Vanessa Andrew, (414) 303-1981, or at fastencollective@yahoo.com.