NWA Fashion Week returns to Fayetteville Oct. 3-5

Photo: Sorella Photography, Courtesy, NWA Fashion Week

It’s almost time for another weekend of fashion shows, forums, and celebrations of design and all-things wearable in Fayetteville.

Of course, we are talking about NWA Fashion Week, set to return to town the weekend of Oct. 3-5 at Drake Field in south Fayetteville.

For those who aren’t familiar, NWA Fashion Week is a project of the non-profit organization The Arkansas Arts and Fashion Forum, with a mission to highlight fashion trends, support local brands, to provide a creative outlet for designers, and to celebrate Northwest Arkansas’ fashion culture.

This year’s event kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 3 with an event called “The Future of Fashion,” featuring collections by eight designers that were created during the inaugural NWAFW Designer Cohort Program that debuted last year. Participating designers include Basana Chhetri, Big Sister, Ethwes, Herron Hats, Hope & Faith, Richie Clark Clothing, and Robbie’s Era.

The event will also include an appearance by guest speaker and judge Gabrielle Korn, former editor-in-chief of Nylon magazine, and other guests that will discuss “the impact of fashion on the culture and industry of the heartland, the current state of fashion,” and related issues.

Photo: Joshua Koerner

On Friday, a series of runway shows will highlight fashion created by a mixture of designers and local boutiques from the region. The shows will feature ready-to-ear, “high-end suiting” and “avant-garde” looks intended to blur the lines between art and fashion. Participants on Friday night include Runway Shows, 4ME Jayla Lee, 59th and 9th, Crystal La’Shay, Felix Bui, Framed in Fashion, Hubbard Clothing Co., Lola x Vandervilt, Rosie Rose Designer, RubyRu Designs, Samantha’s Garden, and Suite One.

Saturday’s shows will focus on couture and avant-garde looks created by regional designers from Kansas City, Little Rock, Tulsa, and other surrounding areas. Pieces to be showcased on Saturday will come from a host of areas of fashion, including boudoir, evening wear, leather goods, and up-cycling.

Saturday designers include 2 Boudoir Chicks, Ashton Hall – The Collection, Bizarre Couture, christianMICHEAL, Ellen Elaine Educational Collaboration, Elizabeth, HOUSE OF COLBY, Off the Record, and Onemanband.

After parties for each evening are also in the works, and details on those will be released at a later date.

Tickets to the event range from $30-$150, and are on sale now at nwafw.com.

For more information about NWA Fashion Week, visit their website.


This article is sponsored by First Security Bank. For more great stories of Arkansas food, travel, sports, music and more, visit onlyinark.com.