L.A. Fashion Week will officially kick off this Wednesday, with an opening show by Imitation of Christ. The week-long event presented by N4XT Experiences will feature a mix of screenings, fireside chats, panel discussions and shows by designers such as Sergio Hudson (known for dressing everyone from Michelle Obama to Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé), Demobaza (worn by Blackpink in their Pink Venom video), Theophilio, Luis de Javier and Kwame Adusei.
The program variety, with the majority of this year’s activations held at Nya Studios in Hollywood, will give attendees an opportunity to network and learn about new techniques and technologies to grow their brands.
“I care very much about creating community here in Los Angeles,” says LAFW president Ciarra Pardo. “I’ve been here for 20 years. I’m a Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx, and finding community here in Los Angeles is not easy. Moving here is not for the weak and building a business here is not for the weak. On the flip side, there’s so much opportunity here; there’s a lot that Los Angeles has to offer.”
New offerings are a cornerstone of this year’s LAFW which will introduce Beautylab, an installation showcasing the latest advancements in beauty technology and sustainability in collaboration with Lancôme.
“Beauty Days is a beauty, health and wellness festival that will be coming in 2024, but one of the babies out of that concept is called the Beauty Lab,” explains Pardo. “I’ve always been very curious about what I’m putting on my face. And as I’m getting older and I’m learning more about these forever chemicals, I want to have a better understanding. So, the Beauty Lab was birthed out of just kind of lifting the veil.”
LAFW president Ciarra Pardo
Courtesy of Subject
Technology will be a big piece of this year’s LAFW as well, from a Masterclass on Fashion in the XR Frontier to the SAP Experience, an immersive on-site retail space where attendees can select pieces from the designers on display each day and leave with their own unique designer LAFW collection.
“Advisry, TOMBOGO, Kim Shui, BruceGlen and No Sesso will all be a part of that experience which is powered by the technology which [software company] SAP has developed,” says Pardo. “We’ve also partnered with SAP.iO, which is their very cool incubation arm and with Obsess, we are creating a virtual retail experience curated by Black Fashion Fair with House of Aama, Khiry and Homage Year. We have our partnership with BigThinx, also part of SAP.iO, which is creating a virtual runway experience with VFILES as well.
“What’s really close to my heart is working with a lot of these emerging designers,” Pardo adds. “There is a fine line between their brilliance and their creative and really having the opportunity to see it through, really having the opportunity to be able to push it to the next level. A lot of them are faced with the decision of, do I put my energy, my time, my money into creating this sample, or do I try to show it to the world? It’s an ‘or.’ So, by creating a platform and a world with LAFW, we’re supporting them through different channels.”
Additional designers showing this year include Tiffany Brown, Claude Kameni (who’s been worn by Tracee Ellis Ross and Viola Davis), Gypsy Sport, Neon Cowboys and No Sesso, who will close out this year’s LAFW Sunday night followed by an invitation-only party crafted by Saintwoods. See this year’s full LAFW schedule below, which includes a fireside chat with pioneering modeling agent and inclusion advocate Bethann Hardison, the subject of the new documentary Invisible Beauty.
Wednesday, Oct. 18
6 p.m. Imitation of Christ Show
7 p.m. LAFW Society × Susan G. Komen: “Creatives Fight Breast Cancer” Gala
Thursday, Oct. 19
2 p.m. Fireside Chat: Bethann Hardison in Conversation With Maxwell Osborne
2 p.m. Tiffany Brown Design Show
4 p.m. Panel: Ice Cold – A Hip Hop Jewelry History
6 p.m. Invisible Beauty Movie Screening by Bethann Hardison
6 p.m. Fashion Reimagined Film Premiere with Sustainability PANEL discussion Presented by FullCycle and Otis College of Art & Design
8 p.m. Sergio Hudson Presentation
10 p.m. LAFW Opening Party
Friday, Oct. 20
2 p.m. Panel: Ocean-Inspired Fashion: How Data Analytics and SAP Solutions Help Brands Innovate and Sustain With SAP Experience
2 p.m. Claude Kameni Show
3 p.m. Panel: Radiant Futures: Navigating Trends Across Fashion, Beauty and Wellness Industries With CITI
5 p.m. Tadashi Shoji Digital Release
6 p.m. Advisry Presentation
8 p.m. Theophilio Show
9 p.m. TOMBOGOFilm Screening
Saturday, Oct. 21
1 p.m. Panel: Fashion Forward: Visions for an Equitable Future in Design with Nike
2 p.m. Gypsy Sport Show
3 p.m. Panel: Retail Reimagined: Bridging the Gap Between Physical & Digital with SAP.iO
4 p.m. Roundtable: Deciphering Skincare: Journey from Lab to Routine with Lancôme’s Skin Science Club
5 p.m. VFILES × BigThinx Virtual Show
6 p.m. Sami Miro Vintage Film Screening
8 p.m. Luis de Javier Show
9 p.m. Neon Cowboys Presentation
10 p.m. The Blonds × LAFW (Invite-Only Party)
Sunday, Oct. 22
2 p.m. BruceGlen Presentation
4 p.m. Kwame Adusei Show
5 p.m. Demobaza Show
5 p.m. Masterclass: Fashion in the XR Frontier: Al, Hypermodernity and Web3 Integration with David Cash
6 p.m. Fireside Chat: Jonathan Simkhai
7 p.m. Simkhai (Invite-Only Dinner)
8 p.m. No Sesso Show
9 p.m. LAFW x SAINTWOODS (Invite-Only Party)