NYACK, NY — The fourth annual Rockland Fashion Week is bigger and better than ever, starting with its first Dog Fashion Show on Thursday and culminating with a gala runway event Saturday at the Palisades Center.

Plus, during the week, additional community-focused activities include educational presentations in local middle and high schools, as well as pop-up shops in boutiques around Rockland County and at the Palisades Center.

There will also be an official Launch Party hosted by Hotel Nyack on Friday night where designers, models and sponsors can mingle.

Produced by Hope Wade Designs of Nyack, Rockland Fashion Week 2023 will showcase the work of 11 local and national designers, including Wade’s own couture line. Entertainment will be offered by saxophonist Herve Alexandre and MC Qui Talks. The runway will be set up in front of the H&M store on the first floor of the mall.

Wade organized the first Rockland Fashion Show in 2019, then opened her Nyack shop at 23 N. Broadway in September of 2020 while the pandemic was raging.

“The first show was a different location — more intimate,” she told Patch. “It was my first foray into the art of fashion on such a large scale. We had four fashion designers and myself. Two are doing the show on Saturday: Fredlyne Burns of La Painture and Annmarie Jameson of Elite Repeat.”

The second show was in 2021, as the pandemic was winding down.

“It was a very big show — we had 17 designers and 80 models. We had a packed house, people were ready to embrace life with some abnormalities again!” Wade said. “The lighting and sound and professional entertainers, three tiers of floors with people looking down was quite a high.”

SEE: 2nd Annual Rockland Fashion Week Draws 300 To Kick-Off Event

“Now we are expanding our horizons by going into the schools in fashion week to talk about the business of fashion,” she said. “Nyack High School has been phenomenal in giving us student volunteers to work backstage. We have a bigger media footprint and Picanha Steakhouse restaurant in the mall has been our host for our VIP guests.”

Wade started out with three people on the team and now she has 13.

“We’re proud to present the amazing creativity of local artists in this annual celebration,” said Wade. “It showcases the wealth of talent we have right here in our local communities, and inspires all of us, including our young people, to explore opportunities in this fascinating industry. We are even more excited about the first dog fashion show, for which we have 15 dogs who’ll be dressed and ready to go.”

The program will include a special donation to the Martin Luther King Multi Purpose Center, a community-based non-profit that provides supplemental educational, health, cultural, social and recreational programs that empower children, adults and elders to achieve personal success.

“Fashion Week is about beautiful clothes, but also about the beauty and strength we bring to the challenges we face in our every day lives,” said Wade.

Rockland Fashion Week is also working with students from Nyack High School, exposing them to what it takes behind the scenes to make a successful show come together.

“We’ll be in the schools engaging students in the ‘business of fashion,’ as well as supporting our retail colleagues around the county,” she said.

Meanwhile, she has kept her business humming, creating couture dresses and gowns for women and children. She selects materials, designs, sketches and sews every garment she sells.

Don’t miss:

• Dog Fashion Show, 6-7 p.m. Thursday in front of H&M on the first floor of the Palisades Center. Price: $24 per ticket (part of the ticket price will be donated to a local kennel)

• Runway Show: 5:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are available here: Get Tickets. The VIP ticket choice includes an exclusive cocktail hour prior to the show at Picanha Brazilian Steakhouse, priority front-row seating and a swag bag brimming with valuable gifts. Guests are encouraged to dress to show their personal ‘fashionista’ style.