AICI GL BAL
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“The reality is that<br />
Austin probably couldn’t<br />
support a fashion week<br />
in the traditional sense.”<br />
Sponsoring other industry events like SXSW Music/<br />
Film/Interactive festivals and Austin Film Festival<br />
(not to mention the wildly popular Austin City Limits<br />
Music Festival), Austin has become a hub for arts<br />
and entertainment insiders as well as a tastemaker<br />
city. “For us, it was a matter of finding the balance<br />
between a live event for entertainment purposes and<br />
still attracting not only retail buyers but also endconsumers<br />
that are willing to spend money with these<br />
amazing emerging designers. We think we’ve struck<br />
that balance,” says Swinney.<br />
Swinney and his team aren’t stopping in Austin.<br />
Fashion X Dallas (pronounced “Fashion By Dallas”)<br />
wrapped up its premiere fashion week last November.<br />
The Woodlands, a Houston suburb, Fashion X is in the<br />
works, and so are mid-market cities in other states;<br />
Swinney kept the lid on those locations but he’s got<br />
his eye on the Northwest.<br />
There are some key elements that define and<br />
differentiate these fashion events. Swinney recruited<br />
designers whose names you’ll recognize from hit<br />
reality shows Project Runway (Lifetime) and Fashion<br />
Star (NBC). Texas-based favorites like Daniel Esquivel<br />
of Project Runway and Ross Bennett, Priscilla Barroso,<br />
and Amber Perley of Fashion Star created a local buzz.<br />
Put them on local runways and you will attract those<br />
designers’ fans and expose them to new designers<br />
simultaneously — building momentum for fans and<br />
artists.<br />
The show isn’t the only attraction. A designer gallery<br />
is open daily before, during, and after the shows,<br />
where attendees can shop local and visiting talents.<br />
You’ll see jewelry, leather goods, women’s and men’s<br />
wear, and more. Arkansas-based clothing designer<br />
Korto Momolu (Project Runway alum) opted to show<br />
in the gallery as well as walk a collection down<br />
the runway at FXD. After the show, attendees were<br />
stripping her mannequins bare and purchasing in a<br />
frenzied state, as many of her items are one-of-a-kind<br />
and reasonably priced.<br />
“For us, it was a matter<br />
of finding the balance<br />
between a live event for<br />
entertainment purposes<br />
and still attracting not<br />
only retail buyers but<br />
also end-consumers.”<br />
Binzario from FXD 2014<br />
Photo Credit: Fashionably Austin<br />
The Association of Image Consultants International | 7
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