A CLEVELAND FASHION RENAISSANCE

Cleveland is what’s known as a hidden gem in the fashion community. Without the presence of a formal fashion week for nearly a decade, the fashion community’s light has dimmed – kept alive by small independent fashion shows and occasional home-grown brands.

 

With the push to have the Cleveland Fashion Gala in 2024, we set out to come back and come back strong. With the clear vision of creating Cleveland’s version of the Met Gala, we embarked on the largest and most ambitious fashion show production in Cleveland history. Many people doubted whether it could be done. Sponsors withheld sponsorships to take a wait-and-see approach, having heard grand visions before with poor execution. But we proved the doubters and naysayers wrong and the success of the Cleveland Fashion Gala spread far and wide with news coverage and interest reaching as far as Australia.

 

While we could rest on our laurels and just produce another Cleveland Fashion Gala, we recognized our limitations. We had 85 models, but we could have easily cast over 120. We had 8 designers, but the list of designers who wanted to be involved was easily triple that. One event couldn’t do Cleveland’s fashion industry full justice. There’s simply too much talent to showcase in one evening. The need was clear. It was time for Cleveland to have its own fashion week again!