Fashion Week Brooklyn kicked off strong

Fashion Week Brooklyn celebrated its ninth year of style, kicking off a week of festivities with a media event Tuesday, October 20 hosted by Nicole “Soul” Stanley at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street.

Brooklyn pride was alive during the launch of this year’s Spring/Summer 2016 collection “Destination Brooklyn,” under FWBK Founder and Director Rick Davy who was described as “the man with a vision, the man with a plan.”

“If you know anything about Brooklyn you know that Brooklyn is a fashion Mecca,” noted Executive Vice President of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership Laurel Brown. “You know Downtown Brooklyn is home to hundreds of thousands of shoppers. We are the trendsetters and we are excited to be a part of Destination Brooklyn.”

A key component of the event is its partnership with Denim Day NYC whose Community Violence Prevention Coordinator Susan Moesker noted, “we are probably Fashion Week Brooklyn’s least fashionable partner, but we can’t thank FWBK enough for joining forces with us to help raise visibility around the issues of sexual assault, as we all know this is not a one season problem, it’s not a one day problem.”

Denim Day takes place every April to honor the survivors of sexual assault.

FWBK is on the cutting edge in other ways, as well. Director of Sustainability Iliana Quander spoke about the importance of incorporating eco-friendly fabrics in her designs and upcycling fabrics for other purposes. She stressed, “Brooklyn is synonymous with sustainability, with Brooklyn’s history of diversity. We’ve always found a way to make it work. Brooklyn has developed in a way that the world is now looking to it as the place for the new and next thing, especially when it is concerning fashion.”

The speeches were followed by a fashion presentation from young designers MillesiM and Kit Woo.

The womenswear fashion presentation hailed all the way from France, showcasing long, elegant gowns. Some were enhanced with sparkling accents or floral prints while others flowed effortlessly. The colors ranged from nudes to reds. The idea for the line was based on “woman’s inspiration,” the designer duo recalled. The menswear fashion presentation showcased two similar styles — one in black and one in white, with a more modernized look including boots and cape coats. Woo noted the idea of finding “the perfect fit” was important in regards to creating fashion pieces for his line.

Fashion Week Brooklyn concluded on October 25.