photo: Kailas
Following in the freshly laid tracks of Lahore, Pakistan, Tucson will also be celebrating its inaugural fashion week this year. As per usual, Tucson will be putting its very unique spin on things when it blows up downtown (Toole and 6th Avenue) for what would be best described as Tucson Fashion Weekend, on Friday, September 24 and Saturday, September 25.
Unlike major metropolitan fashion weeks in New York and Paris, where the hotel champagne and per diems flow like silk chiffon, the Tucson Fashion Week Collective have decided to keep it local, support young up-and-comers and donate all proceeds to charity.
That sole, deserving charity is Skrappy’s Tucson Youth Culture, an all-ages venue and youth center adjacent to the Tucson Fashion Week lot. The organization specializes in homeless youth services, free after school programs, and social enterprising for young entrepreneurs, including sewing and fashion design classes. Fittingly, some of Skrappy’s most promising fashion visionaries will be showing their work on the first day of fashion week in their very own TFW Youth Showcase.
Saturday, September 25 is when Tucson Fashion Week really busts out the cleavage and stilettos. Nine designers will be featured on the large outdoor catwalk: Siobhan by Elizabeth Albert, Sapphire Cordial by Jamaica Rose Cole, Seven Bells by Diana Deaver, Backstitch Betty by Sandra Pope, RUMb by Ashley Marie Sanders, La Fashionista by Eleonor Leon, Sass Knuckles by Shannon Stevens, Melanie Lockwood, and Silvia Bours.
While their aesthetic influences vary from lacy lingerie to the magnitude of heartbreak, all designers have been allotted the same 30 minutes and 12-15 models on the runway. The tenth remaining runway slot will be decided at The Loft Cinema’s “48-Hour Fashion Challenge: TFW Young Designer Competition” on Thursday, Sept. 16. TFW is challenging young designers to create a piece inspired by an iconic fashion film. The finished pieces will be shown before the film and the audience will vote on the winner, who will take home the coveted 10 featured designer slot.
Watch out Lahore, Tucson’s fashion scene is on the rise!
Visit TucsonFashionWeek.net for all the details.
