This weekend, local shops, designers and performers will showcase their artistry on the runway. The annual Syracuse Fashion Week is a three-night event featuring various themes each evening, presenting different eras and tastes in fashion.

Since its start in 2014, the event has grown into an annual series of often sold out shows to fundraise for the Food Bank of Central New York. Its mission is to raise funds and awareness for hunger and food insecurity in the area, said Lisa Butler, the event’s creator and executive director. Syracuse Fashion Week has raised more than $10,000 to date — equivalent to about 30,000 meals the Food Bank can provide.

This year, the fashion week spans three nights, each with a separate theme and location. The show kicks off with the Spring Fling at Aloft Syracuse Inner Harbor hotel on Thursday at 7 p.m.

When Syracuse Fashion Week first began, there were only a handful of stores or designers that participated. Now, they have a large hair and makeup team, and casting calls for models, with more than 150 of them walking the runway this year.

The three-night event will feature various themes throughout each evening, including different eras and fashion tastes. Aaron Kassman | Staff Photographer

The models “come from all walks of life,” said Butler. Some are aspiring models who want to pursue this as their career, while others want to participate as a hobby. Designers with specific visions for their collections bring their own models as well.

Butler said some of the designers and shops reached out to her, while she discovers others on her own. As the fashion show has evolved, so has the list of brands and designers. Some return each year. The list continues to grow as more participants show interest.

The Spring Fling venue, the Aloft Syracuse Inner Harbor hotel, is new this year. Butler said she stumbled upon it one day and was drawn to its modern flare and color. There, the show will focus on spring fashion like bathing suits and casual wear. One participant in the show is “Sea Culture,” an eco-conscious brand that combines recycled plastic with cotton.

Armory Square boutique Midnight Sun will also be participating in the first night’s showcase.

Jim Dauphin, owner of Midnight Sun, said he’s most excited to see the boutique clothing on the runway because it’s fun and a way to gain exposure for the neighborhood. However, he wishes there was more engagement with the Syracuse University community.

By attending these fashion shows, students can see what downtown has to offer, Dauphin said, and they might be more inclined to interact with the city beyond campus.

Anna Henderson | Digital Design Editor

On the second night of the fashion week is the Underground Show at Marisa’s Fortress of Beauty, which will feature a runway show of lingerie and clubwear for a 21 and older audience.

“It’s very sexy,” said Butler. “It’s a huge hit and it sells out every year.”

The evening will present fashion through the decades. Each designer is expected to showcase a different decade.

The Salt City Burlesque troupe will be wearing lingerie-inspired ensembles, said Talia Shenandoah, the founder of the troupe. The collection includes a mix of classic burlesque reveals, she said, as well as other models showing “peekaboos” of what could be beyond their costumes, which can take hours to create.

In the past, Shenandoah had the opportunity to showcase her own work as a designer for Syracuse Fashion Week. But this year, she encouraged the whole troupe to get involved.

“We wanted to pay homage to the heyday of burlesque,” said Shenandoah, referring to the ‘40s and ‘50s. “It’s a way to show people who haven’t seen or heard of us that we exist and have something fun and exciting to offer.”

The RockaBetties – a group who dresses in vintage clothing – will also participate in the Underground Show, and they’re particularly excited about the charitable aspect, said founder Miss Lizzie DeVille. In the past, the group has gone to community events and donated the money they raised to local charities. DeVille said they recently went to Motorama, a local car show, and charged five dollars for a picture, donating the proceeds to a veteran’s charity.

The money raised from Syracuse Fashion Week will go toward the Food Bank of Central New York, which aims to help raise awareness for food insecurity within the city. Aaron Kassman | Staff Photographer

“It’s really exciting and quite an honor to be a part of an event that’s so well-known in the central New York area and something that raises such a massive amount of funds for a local charity,” she said.

At the Underground Show, the RockaBetties will wear vintage ‘50s swimsuits. DeVille said the performance will have an interactive element, as they will be throwing beach balls into the crowd.

The RockaBetties are also involved in the last event of the week — the Fashion Week Gala at the Landmark Theatre.  The gala will feature streetwear, gowns and more. DeVille said that each of the RockaBetties will be wearing a different style gown, which she is looking forward to.

Every year, Syracuse Fashion Week hosts a show at the Landmark Theatre, Butler said, which is her favorite building in Syracuse because of its beauty. She tries to avoid more common spaces like hotel rooms or spaces for typical events, finding them “mundane and boring.” She likes interesting spaces.

In addition to intriguing spaces, Butler also looks for interesting collections. As a fashion designer herself, she says seeing the clothing on the runway is what she looks forward to seeing each year.

“I really like to be surprised by what the designers bring. That’s where my passion lies,” she said. “I always get a sneak peek. I can see some sketches or they’ll send me a picture, but when I finally see the full collection on the runway with hair and makeup and their vision realized, that’s definitely my favorite part.”

Published on April 10, 2019 at 11:07 pm

Contact Brooke: bnkato@syr.edu