Keep up with the latest from Christian Fashion Week. Our blog is an information source for all things CFW and any news from the fashion industry that affects the Christian market.
Thursday, February 26, 2015 • Christian Fashion Week
We sold out The Vault, the most beautiful venue we've used in the last three years. It's so exciting to experience the level of support we have received for our new platform, and we are excited about what the future holds for Christian Fashion Week.
Christian Fashion Week 2015 was a packed week indeed. We started the week with the International Day of Prayer for Art and Fashion. Churches, ministries, families, and individuals from around the world took part in lifting up the fashion industry in prayer.
On Monday night, we hosted a discussion forum at Gomez Innovations about the topic of modesty and how the teachings surrounding the topic vary wildly within the church. The ladies present shared their stories and views. The most common experience was one of oppression through faulty teachings about modesty based on policing the lust of men. It was a liberating discuss that took us on a tour of several key scriptures and common experiences.
Tuesday night, our very own Tamy Lugo put together our Style Shop Night with special guest speaker, Wendi Braswell. Wendi covered a multitude of topics around the subject of personal style. We also had several vendors attend, offering their products at the event.
Wednesday night, Don Me Now! hosted a party for co-founder Mayra Gomez's birthday. The mixer also featured a panel of fashion industry experts who shared advice on getting started and growing your business within the local fashion market.
Thursday night, everyone cut loose at the VIP Rendezvous at Aloft Downtown Tampa. Our VIPs, designers, models, stylists, MUAs, and volunteers had an amazing time eating and talking about the much anticipated designer showcase. Alexandra Jacobs and Melissa Lyttle from the New York Times joined us for interviews as well as meet-and-greets.
On Friday, Executive Director Jose Gomez hosted our designer showcase as the models hit the runway with full collections from 11 fashion designers. From activewear to evening gowns, no collection disappointed. The show was action packed and non-stop. See our Facebook page for photos and coverage links.
Saturday morning, we finished Christian Fashion Week 2015 with an invite-only inner circle luncheon with key supporters and media. We discussed the week, complete with highlights and constructive critique. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful week.
Thank you to everyone who made Christian Fashion Week 2015 happen. Now, it's time to plan for the future... and the possibility of Christian Fashion Week 2016. Will there be a season beyond the Final Season? Stay tuned for news.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015 • Christian Fashion Week
The word is out - an initial list of 11 fashion designers who will be showcasing at The Final Season of Christian Fashion Week has been released! More news and updates coming over the next few weeks leading up to the most explosive fashion showcase we have ever done.
Today, the organizers of the world's only fashion week from a Christian worldview announced the initial version of its fashion designer lineup for Christian Fashion Week 2015. Eleven designers were listed in the lineup, including two Indian-inspired designers. The showcase, titled 'The Final Season' is slated to be the organization's last show as Christian Fashion Week begins its shift in focus towards activism in the coming year.
"The designers that we have chosen for The Final Season represent a wide spectrum of choices available for men and women who hold modesty as a core value," explained Executive Director, Jose Gomez. "However, what is of more significance is the fact that each brand in our showcase has also paid special attention to environmental and human rights concerns. There is a culture of sustainability as well as social and environmental responsibility that counts for much more than regulating hemlines and cleavage."
Indian-inspired fashion will be taking a more prominent role in Christian Fashion Week 2015 with designers Viji Reddy of Alamwar Textiles and Christian Fashion Week Alumna, Sumita Bhojwani with KalaXpress. Both designers also manufacture their own garments, closely maintaining ethical working conditions for their artisans as well as strict standards for waste management and sustainability.
Other designers include: Aleksandra Salo (Aleksandra Classic Design), alumna Angel Myers (Angel Myers Designs), Constance Franklin (ckfcreate by Constance), alumna Katie Martinez (Elegantees), celebrated Florida-native Essence Flowers (Essence Flower Designs), alumna Medinah Hagan-Morgan (Medi), alumna Vonique Mason-Edwards (Mikra), dance-inspired fashion by Tatjana Sladojvec (Noka Posh), and Kirsten Warner (OnePrize Performance).
The show will be held at The Vault in downtown Tampa, Florida on February 20th. General admission and VIP tickets are available now at www.christianfashionweek.com. Space is limited and sponsorships are still being accepted.
There is one critical reason to make sure you are a part of Christian Fashion Week 2015 - it looks to be our last season for now. Learn more about why the Christian Fashion Week team made the decision to make the 2015 showcase our last, and what you can do to change that decision.
After launching the world's first fashion week from a Christian worldview in 2012, Christian Fashion Week has announced that its 2015 fashion showcase will be its final show. The difficult decision came after a series of funding campaigns that failed to produce the support the organizers expected from their community of over 10,000 fans, followers, and subscribers.
"Our goal was to successfully launch a fashion week that would represent the perspective and passion of the Christian community," commented Executive Director, Jose Gomez. "However, when the community that an event represents does not adequately support the effort, one-of-a-kind forums like Christian Fashion Week eventually disappear. The only way for it to continue with any level of excellence is for major Christian brands, organizations, churches, and businesses to support the effort and show the world that there is a united front - a community that wants to have a voice in what is available at stores and boutiques around the world."
"The most unfortunate fact about Christian Fashion Week is that the least amount of support CFW received was from the Christian community itself. Even our local Christian media, churches, and business community opted out," said Mayra Gomez, Fashion Director and co-founder of Christian Fashion Week. "We are very honored to have received the support of Zondervan Publishing for the first two years, but with recent changes in staffing, they were also unable to continue their support this year. We had hoped to see another major brand fill the gap, but none that we spoke with were prepared to do so."
Christian Fashion Week has issued two funding campaigns. The first was launched through GoFundMe.Com and has raised just over $2,000 in spite of the fact that it has been shared over 1,000 times. The campaign offers a number of perks which allow supporters to fund Christian Fashion Week for almost any amount. The second, more creative effort is a program called The 100 Fashionistas. This programs calls for 100 supporters to sponsor a season of Christian Fashion Week for $25 per month. The total of all sponsorships pays for the season's production and marketing expenses while allowing the Fashionistas numerous perks and privileges.
Both, campaigns have yielded less than the organizers expected, leaving a large portion of the event to be self-funded as in previous years.
"Unless we see support from our community of fans, Christian Fashion Week 2015 will be our last show - which makes it the most important Christian Fashion Week ever. We continue to pray for God's guidance and will follow the lead of our community's participation in the continuation of this amazing show."
The organizers have also expressed a willingness to discuss the sale of the Christian Fashion Week franchise and trademarks to a buyer within the Christian retail or fashion community with deeper pockets.
