Concept Announces Change of Venue, N.Y. Edition
Concept Los Angeles Fashion Week has announced a change in venue for its upcoming March 11–13 run. Held for the past two seasons at the Spring Arts Tower in downtown Los Angeles’ Fashion District, the three-day event will now be held at the ACE Gallery in the city’s Mid-Wilshire area. Co-founded by Mike Vensel and Brady Westwater, the fashion week has showcased the work of designers such as MartinMartin, MB999, Elmer Ave and Jen Awad.
The move was sparked by a need for more space. “Having access to 15,000 square feet [of] space at the ACE Gallery will give designers the opportunity to create custom runway shows in pristine museum-sized galleries; develop collaborations with major contemporary visual, video or musical artists; or design a strikingly simple elegant installation—all at affordable fees due to ACE’s generosity,” Westwater said in a statement.
In addition to hosting Concept Los Angeles Fashion Week, the ACE Gallery will open a permanent project space dedicated to innovations in contemporary fashion design with a Wilshire Boulevard storefront space dedicated to showcasing emerging and established local and international designers, the statement said. The storefront is expected to be the site of ongoing exhibitions and collaborations between contemporary artists and fashion designers in its attached gallery space, creating a unique fusion of art and design.
Beyond expanding their West Coast reach, Vensel and Westwater are taking their show on the road with a one-day event in New York on Feb. 14. The event, Concept New York Fashion Week at the Audi Forum, includes runway shows from MartinMartin; Vensel’s eponymous line, Mike Vensel; and The Muscovites, a label out of Russia.
“Our decision to expand to New York comes at a time when Los Angeles designers are looking to reach new markets and want to showcase their collections to larger audiences,” Vensel said in a statement.—Erin Barajas
