Brooklyn Fashion Week(end) has come a long way-not necessarily in the direction anticipated. I attended for the first time two years ago when it was held at the Fulton Ferry Landing. It was a beautiful location and very well presented. The designers weren’t as polished as you would find in New York Fashion Week but the event certainly had a positive dynamic. Six months later, it was held in the garage of a luxury condo development. This time it was more of a party than just a fashion show which was great. The designers were almost all different which isn’t a good sign but they had retained one of the best designers, Catou, from Chicago.
This last weekend I attended for the third time. It was held in a tent on a dark high school football field. There were no designers from the first season I had attended. The event definitely had its merits but, it appears that the event has been converted into an educational tool for a vocational high school in Brooklyn.
My hat is off to the organizers. Although the event has shifted significantly since I first attended, I can imagine that they are up against a huge challenge to secure funding or donations to host an event of this scale. That said there were bright spots which I have mostly addressed in other posts.
Although it is frustrating to see an event slipping from dynamic to dull, we still support all efforts to teach arts and craftsmanship in outlying burrows. The opportunity gap between Manhattan and the surrounding burrows is enormous and any resources to close it are greatly appreciated.
