Following the dispersion of LA Fashion Week from Smashbox Studios a year ago, several local sponsors have picked up where IMG/Mercedes-Benz left off and made the affair their own, spotlighting LA-based designers with runway shows and fashion installations throughout the city. This season, over 70 events will take place during the month of October to showcase Spring/Summer 2010 collections as Los Angeles re-focuses and re-establishes itself in the fashion world.

Among the month-long celebration is LA Fashion Weekend, produced by The Gallery Los Angeles, taking place at Sunset Gower Studios on October 17, 2009. Heading for its second season, the event will feature red carpet events, pop-up shops, live art installations and designer runway shows from Tavik Swimwear, Urban Republic Clothing, Raw 7 and headliner Division E.

"The vibe [this season] will be similar to what we have experienced at Smashbox Studios over the last few years, which I hope to emulate," says producer Mikey Koffman. "They've done such an amazing job with LA Fashion Week."

Moving away from its initial downtown location at The Cooper Design Space, LA Fashion Weekend will play host to a larger media and celebrity turnout at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood. "Hollywood is the epicenter of LA," expresses Koffman. "The Robertson shopping district, the Sunset Strip and Hollywood itself carry so much celebrity involvement and provide a realistic view of what LA really is."

Story by Amy Liu

Photo Credit: The Gallery Los Angeles