This year’s Boston Fashion Week is coming up this October, but fashionistas in the Hub are likely looking for something stylish to hold them over until it rolls around. Luckily, tickets are still available for StyleWeek Northeast, a week long look at the region’s up and coming fashion designers, and all you have to do to get there is make the quick trip down to Providence, Rhode Island.
Beginning this Sunday, August 24 and lasting until August 29, StyleWeek Northeast 2014 is a fashion week with a business twist. Created in 2009, the five-day celebration honors up and coming and established designers with a focus of connecting these emerging designers with potential buyers. According to StyleWeek’s official website, the mission of the event is to support the new designers who need it most – rather than the Missonis and Alexander Wangs of New York Fashion Week fame.
Over the course of the week, all runway shows will take place at The Biltmore Hotel in Providence. There will be 18 fashion shows in total, with three per night happening at the hotel from Sunday through Friday. In addition to runway shows, there will be an accessory showcase presented by Flaunt Boutique, running each night from 5:30 to 7 p.m; the showcases are free and open to the public. Runway show tickets are currently on sale and run between $40 and $60, while passes for every runway show are available for $240.
As StyleWeek Northeast is a regional event, a decent number of the featured designers are Boston natives or former Boston students. Whether you plan on hiking it down to Providence to score a seat along the runway or not, you should get these designers on your radar.
Amanda Koker
Amanda Koker, a Boston-based designer behind the brand ASK Fashion, designs clothes for all sizes, from standard to plus size. Her mission, according to StyleWeek, is to design clothing that covers the bases: good design, better fit and functionality, along with style and flair. Koker, who has degrees in Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising and Marketing from Mount Ida College, is one of the featured designers on 19th Amendment, a platform to get emerging designers’ products sold.
Julie Kontos
Julie Kontos has become a growing presence in the Boston fashion scene since she graduated from Lasell College in 2007 with her bachelors degree in Fashion Design and Production. Since 2009, her designs have appeared at fashion and charity events, and today, she designs pieces for her clients, and her work has been used in local magazines and advertisements.
Earl Battle
While accessory designer Earl Battle wasn’t born in Boston, his products have still made an impact on the city’s style scene. Originally from Jamestown, NY, Battle designs neckties, bags and purses, jewelry and more, which can be found on his website A Battle Designs. His marketplace is based out of Watertown, Mass., and each year, Battle has designed items for the charity event “Band in Boston,” based in Jamaica Plain, which raises money for the arts.
Carissa Lynne Frazier
Carissa Lynne Frazier, whose fashion line debuted in 2011 under the name Carissa Lynne Designs, is one of Boston’s up and coming talents. Born in Fall River, Mass., Frazier attended UMass Dartmouth for English Writing, but has been building her design portfolio. After showcase her modern styles during last year’s Boston Fashion Week, Frazier will be debuting her 2014 Fall/Winter Collection at StyleWeek.
Shalyn Webber
A 2011 MassArt grad, Shalyn Webber has her degree in Fashion Design, and she currently has four collections under her belt that mix avant-garde style with every day practicality. Since graduating, she’s participated in local runway shows, and guests at StyleWeek can expect to see a unique blend of colors and textures in her designs.
Image via Carissa Lynne Designs/Facebook
