Golden Great
San Francisco’s fashion scene is thriving
According to Erika Gessin, San Francisco is a rising fashion capital. Enrollment is up at the city’s design schools, major fashion-forward retailers like Barneys New York have come to town, and there are hundreds of apparel and accessories designers in the greater Bay Area.
The former New Yorker and founder of San Francisco Fashion Week isn’t surprised. “I have such a strong belief in the fashion community here,” says the owner of Mystery Girl Productions, an event production company. “I grew up around the fashion industry, and when I came here I was just blown away. The designers are innovative, willing to take risks, and are not as influenced by the trends.
“There is such a large pool of talent here,” Gessin adds, “but there weren’t many opportunities for these designers to get any national exposure.”
Gessin founded San Francisco Fashion Week in 2004; it takes place once a year in August at the San Francisco Design Center. It has been growing steadily and this past summer drew major retailers such as Macy’s as well as national fashion media. The event showcased 18 designers, including Genevieve Primavera and Velvet Leaf, and drew a crowd of 500–800 attendees per night.
Designers pay $1,500 to participate in San Francisco Fashion Week; the rest of the operating costs are made up by ticket sales to the public.
New digs
San Francisco’s Fashion Market—now called Fashion Market Northern California—is moving to a new venue and has revamped its Web site, fashionmarketnorcal.com, to tout the change.
The 50-year-old show, held five times per year, was previously housed in San Francisco’s Concourse Exhibition Center. Beginning with the Jan. 19–22 show, it will take place 15 miles south, at the San Mateo Exhibition Center.
Says Fashion Market Northern California Board President Nina Perez, the new space is brighter and larger, with room to grow. “There was only so much we could do with the old space. There’s going to be a lot of newness to the look and feel of the show. It will be more contemporary and have more of a fashion feel to it.”
That includes new modernized booths, which the market owns rather than contracts out to a decorating firm. This makes things easier for the independent sales reps, which comprise the bulk of the exhibitors.
The San Mateo Exhibition Center is close to San Francisco International Airport, has abundant parking, and—unlike the Concourse Exhibition Center, which had no central air and is making way for condominiums— has heating and air conditioning. “These are little things that sound so mundane,” says Perez, “but that are really great and will make things more comfortable for exhibitors and buyers.”
The market draws as many as 1,000 attendees each market, primarily from Northern California. —Christian M. Chensvold
