California Apparel News

SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco hosted its first fashion week organized in one central location at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre Aug. 26–29.

There were 14 shows in the San Francisco Fashion Week lineup, revealing the work of 33 designers. Most designers hailed from San Francisco, although there were a few from Los Angeles and New York. Fornarina and Rock & Republic were the best-known names, but there were plenty of newer names on the bill, including Colleen Quen Couture, Glaza, Christina Hurvis Couture and Hieros.

By and large, the event was well-produced and efficient. Shows started and ended in a timely fashion that followed the published schedule. During the down time, attendees shopped the Fashion Week Boutique at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, where several informal exhibitors had set up tables showing men’s and women’s apparel, handbags, jewelry, and other accessories.

As with any other city’s fashion week, the fashion in the audience was as diverse as that on the runway. Styles ranged from “Sex and the City”–inspired glamour to studied anti-fashion chic.

There was even a bit of celebrity buzz thanks to models Shandi Sullivan and April Wilkner, former contestants on UPN reality show “America’s Next Top Model.” San Francisco Fashion Week organizers approached producers of the television show with the idea of putting some of the contestants on the runway. Wilkner walked in the Loungewear Betty show, and Sullivan was on the runway at the Lily Samii show.

But the most notable difference from other fashion weeks was that the audience included more people from outside the industry than inside. Organizers said between 2,000 and 3,000 people attended the show’s four-day run. Of those, about 200 were press and buyers, according to Erica Gessin, event producer for Mystery Girl Productions.

Gessin hosted fashion events around San Francisco for the last few years before deciding to organize the shows into one central venue under the San Francisco Fashion Week banner. Gessin said she plans to hold the event again next year and then shift to a biannual format. She said she intends to keep the event open to the public.

“For the consumer, it’s more about the general awareness of the designers,” Gessin said. “It’s fun for them to get a sneak preview— they’ve never been invited to a fashion show before. For the designers, it’s a chance to get their designs in front of consumers right away.”

San Francisco Fashion Week was held between the Aug. 21–24 San Francisco Market Week and the Aug. 30–Sept. 2 run of MAGIC International. Gessin said she was pleased with the scheduling because buyers already planning to be on the West Coast could extend their trip to catch some of the shows. Next year, she said she plans to work with San Francisco Market Week organizers and the city of Las Vegas to get the word out to buyers about the event.