A new identity for fashion week

FOR THE PAST SEVEN SEASONS, New Orleans Fashion Week has offered an opportunity for independent Southern designers to get their work on the runway. The glitzy runway shows continue this month, but under a new name.

Founder Andi Eaton, who has spent time between Baton Rouge and New Orleans the past several years, changed the name to Southern Design Fashion Week in an effort to encapsulate the growing pool of talented designers she’s encountered across the region.

“This is much bigger than just a New Orleans event, and it’s important to me that we make sure designers from across the region are represented here in a different way,” Eaton says.

This season also marks the launch of the fashion week’s umbrella organization, Southern Coalition of Fashion and Design, which will function as a networking tool for members and host events throughout the year.

For Eaton, it’s a move away from the see-and-be-seen runway shows that are becoming trendy entertainment right now, focusing instead on helping the regional industry and its young up-and-coming designers find success. It also offers an opportunity for designers who aren’t working exclusively in fashion to participate and expand their reach. LSU graduate Courtney Marse, for example, is a textile designer who will be showcasing her first foray into apparel at fashion week.

“A lot of regional fashion weeks are popping up everywhere, and a lot of these events are not necessarily designer-centric. They have great events and lots of people come out, but the majority of the stores that are showing are retail stores,” Eaton says. “Our event has always been designer-focused. For me, it felt like the right time to rebrand because of that.”

SOUTHERN DESIGN FASHION WEEK
Head to New Orleans this month to check out the work of some of the region’s top fashion designers. Southern Design Fashion Week is Nov. 3-9. Starting Nov. 8, the Southern Coalition of Fashion and Design will kick off a Trunk Show Series every weekend in November and December at the Hotel Modern.

Find out more at sc-fd.org.

Baton Rouge-based designers showing spring/summer 2015 collections:
• Annie Etzel, annieetzel.com
• Anthony Ryan Auld, anthonyryanauld.com
• Courtney Marse, courtneymarse.com
• Bonnie Campbell, LSU student
• Krystal Frame, LSU student

Other collections on the roster:
• Aza Ziegler
• Pearl Southern Couture
• Hi Lo
• Noel Martin
• Eaton’s Hazel & Florange
• Matthew Arthur