Going Places with Dina Guzzardo
The coveted Atlantic City Fashion Week returns February 5th-8th for its 16th season that brings highly regarded designers from the New Jersey area to The Showboat Hotel (801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City). This event is THE place to be for fashion enthusiasts and trend setters alike. ACFW even encourages fashions novices and disinterested spouses. So, everyone is most welcome, and the range of activities will ensure you are constantly looking at or doing something completely different. Twice a year the event displays various collections of high-end fashion in a show that rivals the likes of New York, Milan and Paris. There are several events planned over the 4 days in both Atlantic City and South Jersey featuring local designers, lecture series and Pop-Up shops.
The week kicks off on Wednesday 5th February where ACFW will be working closely with students from Rowan College to showcase their work from the past year in the school’s annual Fashion Show at the Burlington County campus (1 High Street, Mt Holly, NJ, 08060).
Thursday is all about recognizing rising stars and new talent in the student showcase. ACFW prides themselves in their commitment to education and nurturing new talent by working with a selection of local high schools, secondary and trade schools, Colleges and Universities. They bring design students from across the region from various institutions such as ACIT, Stockton University, Brookdale College, Moore College of Design and Lacey Township High School, to name a few. Students will be competing for a range of prizes and will have the honor of being judged by industry professionals and executives, undoubtedly generating valuable exposure as new talent looks to emerge in the fashion scene.
Friday returns to the Showboat for a Ready to Wear and Children Designers showcase and will undoubtedly garner a great deal of attention as previous shows have featured designers from the hit TV series, Project Runway. Finally, Saturday culminates the week in a showcase of Couture and Avant Garde concepts which, in previous years, has boasted work from designers from Europe, Australia, South Africa and the Caribbean.
There will be a wide variety of vendors featuring clothing and accessories at each event plus if you have always dreamed of making your red-carpet appearance then now is your chance! There will be the opportunity to be photographed on the Atlantic City Fashion Week Red Carpet so you can finally tell people that you were papped on the red-carpet during fashion week, and you will have the evidence to prove it. With the wide range of styles being showcased I am sure there will be something that you just HAVE to have and luckily you can take your favorite pieces home as there will be a trunk show after each event offering the chance to purchase items you have seen.
The show has been a huge hit in the past with many attendees returning and even participating in the event. ‘I love it because when I first went a couple of years ago, I didn’t really know much about the fashion industry, I kind of got dragged along by my friends. The effort that these designers put into their work is just incredible and even if you don’t necessarily like fashion it is still just a great week with so many different elements to it’ said Maya who now regularly attends the show.
The ACFW is produced by KingBee media, a company founded by the fashion powerhouse duo of Lamont and Jeana Bowling based out of New Brunswick, New Jersey. The couple have built a fashion empire which includes ACFW and fashionSTYLE Magazine, launched in 2005. Their local roots perhaps explain their decision to commit to give back to the local area by bringing in this fashion show which they want to allow the community to take full ownership of. ‘It’s not American Fashion Week, it’s not USA Fashion Week, we are not going to do like the pageants who came in, did their thing and ran off somewhere else’, said Lamont. Their reputation precedes itself as they have become two of the most respected people in the fashion industry on the east coast.
Tickets for the show start at just $60 for general admission and can be purchased online at www.AtlanticCityFashionWeek.com. Think you have what it takes to walk the runway? Perhaps you want those VIP seats to make sure you have the best view? Or maybe you are from a magazine or website that wants to cover the event? Additional information about any of these can also be found on the ACFW website.
Dina Guzzardo is the President and Executive Promoter of Dina Media Group LLC. Dina Media Group is an innovative cutting edge media and marketing company that produces and promotes events including; concerts, benefits, festivals, fairs and outdoor markets.
