Glitzy Mercedes Benz Fashion Week got served this year as alternative showcases vie for designers, audiences and sponsors
By Jeffrey Jolson

Wild style at guerilla LA fashion week
photo by Andrew Crandall

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 3/17/07 — At least three guerilla Fashion Weeks are staking out territory in Los Angeles in and around the official Mercedes Benz Fashion Week as emerging and even well-known designers flock to the more affordable alternative showcases.

L.A. is heading towards what might be called Fashion Fortnight or Fashion Week 2.0 to reflect its growing community-created content. Design houses that were at MFWB last year, Kushcush, Eduardo Lucero and Yana K, are heading to indie venues.

The runaway runways include a group with ties to the City of Los Angeles, Box 8, which held three days of fashion shows by 15 designers plus live rock acts at the deco palace Los Angeles Theater and the Grand nightclub. Group 8’s Peter Gurnz vows to create a huge downtown Fashion Week next year with Broadway Ave. closed down for a tented street fashion party and runway shows at the 1000-seat landmark theaters on the block.

“Indie designers don’t have the ability or budget to go to (Mercedes Benz Fashion Week). We are showcasing for free because we are interesting in creative expression in fashion, culture and art, with a downtown twist,” said Gurnz. The downtown twist was evident as some quirky designers and colorful attendees were as much about anti-fashion as fashion, making the events an entertaining change from often stuffy fashion presentations.

During the same three days, Kitten Fashion Week took over the trendy Standard Hotel downtown for 12 runway shows plus hipster tippling at the rooftop pool bar. “We are somewhere between a guerilla fashion show and a regular one,” said organizer Mike Vensel. Emerging designers, who don’t have a budget, need creative solutions. We are not against IMG’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. We’re just bringing another option to people.”

Gen art fashion installations
photo by Karen Ostlund

Both fashion series ended Saturday night, before MBFW. They were free to the designers involved and even included hair and makeup for the models. By contrast, MBFW charges thousands to exhibit and designers we talked to says it costs them around $20,000 to make a splash there.

MBFW, which attracts nationally known design houses like Bebe, Sue Wong and Joseph Domingo gets underway tomorrow with 24 designer showcases and design suites with even more. It runs until Thursday March 22 at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, Calif. It’s the 800 lb. Gorilla of the bunch, run by IMG, which operates Fashion Weeks and other large events around the world. Fashion Week happens when it says it does, twice a year in LA and New York, and everyone else plans their related events accordingly.

Yet another alternative show, GenArt, used sets instead of runways to showcase young designers, as if we all have models draped over our cadenzas and ironing in antique kitchens. GenArt has been showcasing emerging designers for ten years and bills itself as a kick off to Fashion Week. The group’s offbeat event in Hollywood Friday night highlighted three young designers, Mintee, Alms and Hazel Brown and called the Acura-sponsored event “The New Garde: A Celebration of Innovative Los Angeles Fashion.”

Hoop skits and sparkles at
Guerilla fashion week

The collections were shown on rotating live model vignettes with installations conceptualized by each designer and produced by renowned set designer Keith Greco. The fashion presentations were followed by an after-party at the same Ivar Studios location.

944 Magazine, an MBFW sponsor, and a selection of other corporate sponsors are hosting events each night during MBFW, ostensibly as after-show events (Smashbox shows end about 10 p.m. when most models are just revving their engines) but are showcases themselves.
To kick off the festivities, 944 Magazine will be hosting the official launch party at their new offices and event facilities and go on to host presentations of 2B Free, Meghan Fabulous, Parasuco Denim, and t-bags.

Founder and CEO of 944, Marc Lotenberg said “Sponsoring LA Fashion Week and throwing independent fashion-themed parties is our way of connecting our audience with the fashion community while showing them a good time.”

Little Red Riding Hoodie from Krel
photo by Andrew Crandall

Those four organized programs are handling just a portion of the designers who will present their fall lines during Fashion Week.
There is a DeHoghton event at the Roxy on Mar. 22, Yana K is running her own show at the California Market Center on March 24, Zandra Rhodes is having a cocktail at the Cooper Building as well as a MFWB presence, Madewell is bussing attendees from Smashbox to a media brunch at their Century City locale, and Heaven’s Luxury Brand is at the Chateau Marmont.

It remains to be seen whether IMG flexes its considerable muscle to prevent runaway runways or promotes a role as the Main Event in a Fashion Week 2.0 environment that Smashbox cannot physically contain. But Box 8’s Gurnz notes IMG has already sent him a cease and desist letter regarding use of a name of an arts organization that was similar to IMG in his promotions. He complied, but every camp is digging in their high heels in a war whose winner could be Los Angeles, long in need of a fashion flashpoint.