California Apparel News

A full-fledged Los Angeles Fashion Week in one big venue has been missing for two years now, but a small group of tenacious producers and organizers is working to resuscitate the concept in downtown Los Angeles by early next year.

Michael Venedicto, co-founder of Fashion Los Angeles, held a press conference Sept. 15 to announce the organization’s plans to hold its first Los Angeles Fashion Week Feb. 1–7 atop a three-story parking structure across the street from Walt Disney Concert Hall, The dates make Los Angeles Fashion Week happen before New York Fashion Week for the first time.

The top floor of the vast parking lot at 1st Street and Grand Avenue, where the press conference was held, would be converted into a temporary “Fashion Village” with prefabricated soft structures designed by the Los Angeles architectural firm Marmol Radziner and Associates.

“This is our location for the next five years, twice a year,” said Venedicto, surveying the parking lot that has a sweeping view of downtown Los Angeles’ skyscrapers. The second season of Los Angeles Fashion Week would be held in the fall.

The event has been endorsed by the city, witnessed by the presence of Los Angeles City Council member Jan Perry, whose district encompasses downtown Los Angeles, and Cynthia Ruiz, the mayor’s fashion ambassador. “I am thrilled you have chosen this venue with a panoramic view of downtown Los Angeles at your feet,” Perry said.

Even though the city is endorsing the event, it will contribute no money to move it forward, Venedicto said. Funds will be coming from a host of sponsors that can contribute anywhere from $25,000 to $500,000 or more to be a part of the event.

Venedicto hasn’t named any financial sponsors yet but did mention that L.A. shopping mall owner Caruso Affiliated is contributing space at The Grove and at The Americana at Brand shopping centers to put on public fashion presentations. Venedicto said he is also narrowing down the title sponsorship to one automotive company to be announced later this month.

Also, the 65 participating fashion designers, who may either have runway shows, pop-up displays or other events, won’t be announced until October.

The cost for the prefab “Fashion Village” and the first two seasons is estimated to be at least $5 million, Venedicto said.

To reassure the city and other sponsors that this is not a fly-by-night organization, Venedicto said Fashion Los Angeles will put at least $1.5 million in an escrow account to be drawn upon once Fashion Los Angeles delivers on its promises. “This is to protect Los Angeles, the investors and the sponsors that we are stand-up guys,” Venedicto said.

Venedicto and Jeff Warrington, the other co-founder of Fashion Los Angeles, have been working on this project for nearly 18 months with a team of 25 other individuals.

They have been setting up sponsors and working out ways to fund the pricey event. New York–based IMG pulled out of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in 2008 after five years producing a large-scale event in Los Angeles and Culver City, Calif. Since IMG left, there have been several independently produced efforts but none quite on the scale of the event at Smashbox. (One of the remaining Fashion Week events, L.A. Fashion Weekend, the multi-designer runway event produced by Mikey Koffman, owner of The Gallery L.A. showroom in downtown Los Angeles, is set to return for its Oct. 15–17 run at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood.)

Neither Venedicto nor Warrington has an extensive fashion background. Venedicto has been producing high-profile events in Los Angeles such as the post-Grammy awards party for BMG and a “Tribute to Style,” Rodeo Drive’s annual celebration. Warrington is a graphic designer.

But Venedicto said he has been on the fringes of fashion for a long time and felt he had the organizational skills to make this work. “We have taken our time to produce this, so we are thorough, professional and transparent,” he said. “For us, we have the talent to do it.”—Deborah Belgum