Fashion

The Show Must Go On: Los Angeles Bloggers Step Up to Support Local Designers

By Mary Hall | October 23, 2010

Pictured: L’une by by Anh Volcek is one of the Los Angeles Designers that will show in LA tomorrow.

It’s sad when up and coming designers invest to show their designs to the public, and their exhibit is canceled via no fault of their own. According to the Los Angeles Times, “Designers, publicists and fashion fans are baffled by the sudden cancellation of World Coast Management’s L.A Fashion Week, which had been slated to take place Oct. 20-25 at L.A. Production Studios. Fourteen designers were listed on the roster of WCM’s website to show their collections for spring/summer 2011 during three nights of runway shows which were to be bookended by a party and a trade show. But many of them found out only on Wednesday night that the events had been canceled.”

Following the cancellation of Official World Coast Management’s ( “WCM”) LA Fashion Week, due to permitting issues, Fashion Los Angeles has organized a community movement through its Bloggers’ Café program, to ensure that the designers are given an opportunity to exhibit the fashions they have worked so hard to produce.

Pictured: The invite from designer Daisy Gonzalez’s canceled LA Fashion Week show (from DaisyGonzalez.Blogspot.com)

Designers who are confirmed to present their works from the canceled shows are Daisy Gonzalez, L’une, and Paulina Lopez from Mexico City. Since this is a community service event, individuals and groups able to donate time and products (models, hair, makeup, mannequins, etc.) should contact Fashion Los Angeles via email immediately at bloggerscafe [at] fashionlosangeles [dot] org.

Apparently, the Los Angeles Fire Department called off the WCM event due to several outstanding citations on the venue dating back to March 2010. This unfortunate situation left 18 local and international designers without a venue to present their SS2011 collections. It’s very sad that something as routine as a permit was not secured far in advance of the show, so that the show could proceed as planned.

The only bright spot in this sad story is that local organizations and bloggers are stepping up to help the stranded designers. Fashion Los Angeles, the group behind the new Los Angeles fashion presentations set to debut February 2011, has joined forces with Two Point Oh LA, an organization that unites 80 Los Angeles’ fashion and beauty bloggers, to offer the displaced designers an opportunity to meet with local media. The Bloggers’ Café event, known by the Twitter hashtag “#bc911,” will take place at Fashion Los Angeles headquarters [600 S. Spring St., Suite 1708 Downtown Los Angeles] from 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 23, 2010.

If you live in Los Angeles, consider checking out the shows or helping to spread the word about the events, or RSVP to attend to help these designers show their designs as planned! The power of Social Media can only help these designers overcome the cancellation of their shows. As they say in Hollywood, the show must go on!