The Bureau hosted its biannual Los Angeles Fashion Week from Oct. 16-18 at The Lot Studios in West Hollywood. The event showcased a diverse collection from a variety of designers. Photos by Dalainey Moore
From New York to Paris, Milan and Los Angeles, Fashion Week brings designers, models, creatives and attendees together to showcase their latest collections and artwork.
The LA fashion scene has historically received less industry attention and media coverage than its more well-established counterparts such as New York or Paris, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Still, LA’s fashion shows offer a different perspective on the world of fashion, giving designers and creatives from across the city’s diverse scene a platform to showcase their work and establish their place in the industry.
“They rethink the mode — everything, the fashion, the brand,” Fashion Week attendee Fanny Roth said. “I like that because it’s young and it’s old, it’s a mix on everything, so it just can be a trend.”
Attendees gather in front of The Bureau’s LA Fashion Week display Oct. 16 to celebrate the opening runway show and fashion-filled weekend. Crowds of guests took photos in front of the display on the first day of the event.
Defining the LA Fashion Scene
Fashion events attract audiences worldwide, often through social media and digital publications, allowing viewers to explore collections online before experiencing the shows in person.
The Bureau, who also produces New York and Paris Fashion Week, hosted its biannual LA Fashion Week from Oct. 16-18. The runway went live at The Lot Studios in West Hollywood, home to Hollywood soundstages and a working film and television production lot.
The venue created an intimate atmosphere, bringing attendees closer to the models and designs. Paired with music and production, each collection showcased the designers’ brand identity while maintaining the energy of a classic runway show.
The opening runway show featured designs from Toshimi Pacumbala Atelier, Dimez, Deborah Beaumont Designs, Krown Kink, X-X Co., Sewreffic and Saint Fortuna.
Pieces from Deborah Beaumont Designs take the runway during LA Fashion Week’s 6 p.m. show Oct. 16. Guests watch with anticipation as models presented the designer’s collection during the opening night runway show.
These collections offered the audience a first look at the designer’s extravagant and distinctive pieces, setting the tone for the rest of the weekend’s showcase of fashion and creativity.
LA is loose and colorful, leaning into vintage layers, elevated streetwear and casual yet intentional dressing, according to The Bureau.
Having attended and photographed for Fashion Week events, Roth shared her perspective on the emerging LA Fashion Week trends and what distinguishes them from their international counterparts.
“I’ve experienced a lot of Fashion Weeks in Paris, New York and here in Los Angeles,” Roth said. “This one is really great because it mixes urban street[wear] with something very elegant.”
Designs by Sewreffic took the spotlight on the runway. Models showcased the colorful looks during the opening show of LA Fashion Week on Oct. 16.
LA Fashion Week offers a well-rounded mix of different styles for a variety of audience members to engage with.
Designs by Toshimi Pacumbala Atelier were previously showcased during New York Fashion Week in September. The designer creates Filipino fashion, couture and pageant gowns to give audiences a look at whimsical and cultural creations, according to Asian Journal News.
The diverse fashion scene of LA allows designers to draw inspiration from their cultural heritage and represent that identity on the runway. Incorporating cultural representation into fashion often draws audiences of similar backgrounds, according to USC Annenberg Media.
Dimez and Krown Kink designers also support cultural heritage through their design. LA fashion week has provided Black designers a platform to promote African American representation and share their perspectives on emerging LA fashion trends, according to the Los Angeles Sentinel.
A Platform Beyond the Runway
What sets LA Fashion Week apart is its role as a launchpad for young designers creating an experimental and innovative environment for collections that might struggle if thrown into a higher profile event like New York Fashion Week, according to Hotel Figueroa.
The press gathers at the end of the runway during LA Fashion Week on Oct. 16. Photographers and journalists documented the designer’s collections as models showcased their looks.
For student journalists, they said they must decide which moments to highlight and which story draws inspiration to the community they come back to.
Simone Godse, a journalism and fashion merchandising student at California State University, Long Beach, said she was excited to attend LA Fashion Week — hopefully as a stepping stone to a bigger stage.
“This already is leading to my dream,” Godse said. “I hope one day to cover New York Fashion Week.”
Godse said her experience documenting LA Fashion Week reflects how engaging with and covering the event can help aspiring journalists gain experience, explore opportunities and pursue goals within the fashion industry.
Reporting alongside Godse was Arianna Jackson, a journalism student at California State University, Long Beach, who expressed her love for expression through art.
“I love that we saw a lot of black designers today,” Jackson said. “I love how you could see how each individual designer put themselves into their designs.”
Simone Godse (left) and Arianna Jackson (right) pose in front of The Bureau’s LA Fashion Week display Oct. 16. The two student journalists gathered interviews and content from the show to share with their campus community.
Marketing Shapes Fashion Week’s Identity
As trends move from the runway to the media, they influence students, aspiring creatives and others looking to establish themselves in the fashion industry.
First-year Kennady Fulton, a public relations major at Pepperdine said marketing can make or break the attention an event receives.
“I think LA Fashion Week could benefit from marketing that better communicates what makes it different from its counterparts in New York and Paris,” Fulton said. “When people hear ‘Fashion Week,’ they often expect big-name celebrity attendees and major designers, but without that same level of publicity and social media presence, they may not even realize LA Fashion Week is happening.”
Through designing, reporting or modeling, LA Fashion Week provides opportunities to engage with the greater Los Angeles fashion scene and gain a deeper look into the experiences beyond the runway. Understanding how trends travel across different media platforms and how marketing shapes audience perceptions can offer insight on LA Fashion Week’s identity within the fashion industry.
This story was copy edited by Haylie Ross.
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Contact Dalainey Moore via email: dalainey.moore@pepperdine.edu