Chicago Fashion Week will turn the city ‘into a runway’ this fall

Chicago is commonly known for sports, architecture and deep dish pizza — not for high fashion and avant-garde streetwear. But backers of a fall fashion week hope to change that.

Chicago will host a 12-day fashion week Oct. 9-20, featuring fashion shows, award ceremonies, marketplaces, gala celebrations, educational programs and more, organizers announced on Tuesday.

Chicago Fashion Week will have more than 50 events at locations across the city, in partnership with local fashion organizations, retailers and neighborhood business associations. Events will feature Chicago designers who make everything from streetwear to formal wear.

Unlike other major fashion weeks, 95% of Chicago Fashion Week events will be open to the public and many will be free.

“This October, all of Chicago becomes a runway,” said John Leydon, co-founder of Chicago Fashion Week.

Chicago is a shopping destination that’s home to groundbreaking designers and fashion schools, organizers said during a news conference at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago downtown.

“For too long, Chicago’s fashion talent has fallen off the radar of many,” said Ian Gerard, co-founder of Chicago Fashion Week and fashion events group The Curio. The event will spotlight “the city’s unique talent and provide an outlet for the many passionate fashion devotees that reside here.”

“Chicago has long been recognized as a hub of creativity and innovation across various industries, and our fashion scene is no exception,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “Amplifying Chicago fashion events through Chicago Fashion Week creates an opportunity to elevate our city’s status as a fashion capital.”

The city has hosted other fashion events, such as Chicago Fashion Focus Week, which ran from 2005 to 2014 in tents at Millennium Park. But the upcoming Chicago Fashion Week will be a privately produced event with city support.

“This model is decentralized, meaning that events can happen all across the city highlighting our many wonderful and diverse neighborhoods and allowing more of Chicago’s residents to attend and participate,” said Gerard. “This is a fashion week for everyone.”

Seven Chicago designers gave a mini-fashion show at the news conference, including Maria Pinto, Sheila Rashid, GRÉVYI, I Am Studios, Koush, Production Mode and Sujata Gazder.

Pinto has dressed Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey, among other luminaries. Rashid is known for unisex streetwear worn by Chance the Rapper, Lena Waithe, Zendaya and Bella Hadid.

Chicago Fashion Week events, so far, include:

• An opening night runway show by The Curio on Oct. 9, featuring local artists such as Pinto and Rashid.
• A Chicago Fashion Coalition show on Oct. 11 will feature local designers in collaboration with music tied to the city’s 40th anniversary of house music.
• The West Central Association will host the Fulton Market Outdoor Fashion Show on Oct. 11, and the Oak Street Council and Oak Street SSA will host “Couture for the Cause” during the week.
• On Oct. 12, the Asian Fashion Show Chicago will showcase collections from Asian American and Pacific Islander designers.
• Surround Sound of Fashion will blend fashion and music on Oct. 12 and showcase creative talent from the Midwest.
• Organizers of Randolph Street Market will present a Vintage Fashion Marketplace on Oct. 13.
• A fashion photography exhibition will open at NoMI Gallery at the Park Hyatt in downtown starting Oct. 16.
• Minted Media Productions will present Chicago Fashion Showcase on Oct. 17 with a spotlight on BIPOC designers.
• Runway Latinx on Oct. 19 will feature local Latinx talent, as well as some South American designers.

Additional programming will be announced ahead of October, along with event times and locations. A full schedule of events can be found at chicagofashionweek.com.