Chicago Fashion Week excites students with its innovative style

Chicago is known for its deep-dish pizza, architecture and neighborhoods, but some people forget about its fashion scene. Some Chicago Fashion Week organizers said they wanted to celebrate the threads that make up the city’s fabric.

This fall, the 12-day fashion event will make its Chicago-area debut from October 9-20. It will draw inspiration from a myriad of urban styles and define a ‘new look’ with apparel collections, educational opportunities, awards, gala celebrations and more.

Pam Kendall, co-owner of Evanston-based boutique cloth + home, will host her own fashion show in light of the week called “Threaded Stories—A Runway Show and Distinctive Fashion” on Oct. 13. The show will highlight nine local designers, their stories and how they settled in Chicago to create fashion.

“There’s a tremendous amount of talent coming from independent designers here,” Kendall said.

Chicago-based designers typically make their own clothes or source them outside Chicago. But in recent years, many Chicago-based clothing manufacturers that rely on the fashion industry for business have struggled because many brands are sourcing production abroad, Kendall said.

Kendall said she hopes Chicago Fashion Week will shine a light on the city’s local garment manufacturing industry.

Other fashion capitals that host acclaimed fashion weeks, such as New York, London, Milan, and Paris, all have a defining style that encapsulates the city’s aesthetic. For example, New York has a streetwear aesthetic and London is known for its business casual.

Medill senior Anna Souter said Chicago’s style is intersectional and not tied to a single style.

“I love Chicago fashion in general because there’s no one way to define it,” Souter said.

Noting that Chicago Fashion Week is quickly approaching, student fashion organizations, like STITCH Magazine and the UNITY Charity Fashion Show, should inform students about events.

But her only hope is that fashion week will highlight Chicago’s innovation.

“Fashion Week is different everywhere it exists. So it has to be unique to Chicago,” Souter said.

Medill sophomore Keya Soni Chaudhuri said many people don’t take small-scale fashion weeks seriously, especially when compared to New York Fashion Week.

But he said this wasn’t necessarily a negative situation.

“Chicago is a place where it’s really easy to sign up to go to Chicago Fashion Week and feel like a smaller, more accessible space for fashionistas,” Chaudhuri said.

Chaudhuri, who models for Freedom Models and Select Model Management, said holding a fashion week in Chicago made sense, especially since the city has so many commercial connections, including offices, retail stores and industrial complexes.

Chaudhuri said he hoped the event would also recognise marginalised communities.

“Chicago has the opportunity to shine a light on many underrepresented communities, and I hope we see that at this fashion week in the future,” Chaudhuri said.

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