Known for its cowboy boots, blue jeans and rowdy Stampede, Calgary may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think about designer fashions. But that’s about to change as the city presented its successful inaugural Alberta Fashion Week earlier this month.
Independent designers from across the province showcased their 2010 spring collections at events including several main runway shows, and ample trunk sales where participants purchased their favourite items from the experts themselves.
Feature designers included Adejoké Taiwo, who was hand-picked from thousands of others across the country to compete on Project Runway Canada 2009, and Cindy Mathieu, whose haute couture line attracts Hollywood celebs such as Jennifer Love Hewitt and Angela Bassett.
“All of the designers showed their true talent during this tremendous show,” says David Politi, program director of Alberta Fashion Week. “It definitely puts Alberta on the fashion map.”
With an increasingly young, chic, urban professional population (the average Calgarian is now just 36 years old), the city is home to many people looking for an event that puts Calgary on the artistic and cultural map.
“My friends and I eagerly anticipated this first-ever event,” says Lianne Roll, an entrepreneur and fashion enthusiast. “Supporting local talent is important to me and we had fun finding those one-of-a-kind pieces for fall.”
Offering a unique collection of colours, cuts, shapes, styles and trends, Alberta Fashion Week demonstrates that there really is a market beyond denim in the City of Calgary.
Twenty per cent of all ticket sales were donated to the YWCA in Calgary. For more information, visit albertafashionweek.ca.
Photo courtesy of Alberta Fashion Week.
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