Chicago Fashion Week is here
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Models at a launch event for Chicago Fashion Week. Photo: Courtesy of Chicago Fashion Week
Chicago's first Fashion Week starts Wednesday, featuring runway shows, exhibitions and opportunities for designers to show off their work.
Why it matters: The city's fashion and design industry lacks a citywide event like the ones in New York and Paris, which allow established industry players and up-and-coming designers to get their clothes in front of buyers. That lack has contributed to the city's second city complex in the fashion world.
Driving the news: Chicago Fashion Week kicks off Wednesday at the Chicago Cultural Center, with events through Oct. 20.
State of play: John Leydon started Chicago Fashion Week after learning that Chicago didn't have something like New York Fashion Week, which Leydon says "electrified the city."
- Leydon tells Axios he started planning the event more than 15 years ago. He says it's self-funded but he's exploring sponsors for future iterations.
Flashback: The city hosted Chicago Fashion Focus from 2005 to 2015 under Mayor Richard M. Daley with the goal of giving young designers a springboard to show off their work and make the city a fashion destination.
- But it fizzled out after the city cut its funding.
Between the lines: Chicago's fashion industry hasn't had the same platform as New York's or LA's, which have capitalized on the market's desire for active and casual wear, The Curio's Maggie Gillette tells Axios.
Yes, but: Chicago is a training ground for designers, with School of the Art Institute, Columbia College and Dominican University all offering four-year fashion design programs, Gillette says.
What they're saying: "I would love to see more of a high-fashion presence [in Chicago]. I think that's why so many people who study fashion in Chicago make their way to New York. There isn't really a market or opportunities to showcase or promote that type of work here," designer Alex McDermott tells Axios.
- "But I think we are slowly pushing the needle."
If you go: The week kicks off Wednesday night with "A Celebration of Chicago Style," hosted by the Curio at the Chicago Cultural Center and featuring a runway of styles from designers such as McDermott, Maria Pinto and Gente Fina.
- On Friday, fashion meets food at Stan Mansion in Logan Square, and there's a clothing swap over the weekend at the Chicago Fair Trade Museum.
- Students' work will also be on display in Oak Brook and Asian designers are highlighted at a show in Uptown.