lafw is back, but what’s n4xt?
By Sydnee Yu
Attached to the label of “Fashion Week” is usually one of four cities: Paris, London, New York or Milan. These locations have long been hosts of the fashion industry’s biggest and most influential trade events. On the flip side, LA Fashion Week has never quite been able to gain footing, consistent only in its lukewarm reviews and lack of organization.
However, this past October, Los Angeles welcomed a “fashion week reimagined,” under the new creative direction of Ciarra Pardo.
Pardo, the former Chief Creative Officer for Fenty, is one of the founders of N4XT Experiences, an event experience company that acquired the Los Angeles Fashion Week trademark earlier this year. LAFW was formerly housed at the Petersen Automobile Museum and run by Arthur Chipman since 2015. Like its previous renditions, Chipman’s Fashion Week was unable to garner significant attention.
As 2022 saw the return of Fashion Weeks in full force for the first time post-pandemic, LAFW’s revival was pivotal. From Oct. 6 through Oct. 9, programming included runway shows, masterclasses, fireside chats and panels held at the Lighthouse Artspace.
Opening the weekend was Maxwell Osbourne’s brand anOnlyChild, which also impressed at New York Fashion Week for its luxe upcycling of deadstock. Other highlights included Guess' 40th anniversary event and Gypsy Sport’s runway show, which paid homage to the Chicano culture that has influenced decades of LA street style.
While LAFW only lasted one weekend, with a slim 10 runway shows on the program, it was a strong preview of what is to come in future years. The relationship between N4XT and The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), which organizes the New York Fashion Week calendar, shows promise. CFDA CEO Steven Kolb praised LAFW’s new direction and for the first time in over a decade, LAFW programming was listed on the official CFDA calendar.
However, Pardo and her collaborators have emphasized that they are not trying to make LAFW fit the mold of Fashion Week’s Big Four. Leaning into a seasonless format and LA’s reputation for housing up-and-comers rather than established labels, they want to create visibility for designers without exclusivity. Pardo described their vision in part as “creating a playground,” that encourages innovative and interdisciplinary ways of showcasing collections in addition to traditional runways.
In fact, the tagline of LA Fashion Week is “the intersection of fashion, beauty, tech, and sustainability,” and discussions were held with designers about how to incorporate beauty and tech into their events. Additionally, LAFW partnered with consultancy Eco-Age to support their sustainability efforts.
However, only time will tell if there is any longevity to Pardo and the N4XT team’s grand ambitions. LAFW’s track record is less than promising. Yet, LA does have much to offer the fashion community. Fairfax Avenue has become a hub of street style. Wholesale buyers flock to the Fashion District’s many showrooms during Market Week. Even premier fashion labels, such as Dior and Ralph Lauren, have recently shown collections in Los Angeles.
If October's events were only a preview, there are sure to be more eyes on LA Fashion Week this coming spring. Hopefully, they will see N4XT and Pardo’s goals manifest on the runway. If not, it may be onto the n4xt for LAFW.
However, this past October, Los Angeles welcomed a “fashion week reimagined,” under the new creative direction of Ciarra Pardo.
Pardo, the former Chief Creative Officer for Fenty, is one of the founders of N4XT Experiences, an event experience company that acquired the Los Angeles Fashion Week trademark earlier this year. LAFW was formerly housed at the Petersen Automobile Museum and run by Arthur Chipman since 2015. Like its previous renditions, Chipman’s Fashion Week was unable to garner significant attention.
As 2022 saw the return of Fashion Weeks in full force for the first time post-pandemic, LAFW’s revival was pivotal. From Oct. 6 through Oct. 9, programming included runway shows, masterclasses, fireside chats and panels held at the Lighthouse Artspace.
Opening the weekend was Maxwell Osbourne’s brand anOnlyChild, which also impressed at New York Fashion Week for its luxe upcycling of deadstock. Other highlights included Guess' 40th anniversary event and Gypsy Sport’s runway show, which paid homage to the Chicano culture that has influenced decades of LA street style.
While LAFW only lasted one weekend, with a slim 10 runway shows on the program, it was a strong preview of what is to come in future years. The relationship between N4XT and The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), which organizes the New York Fashion Week calendar, shows promise. CFDA CEO Steven Kolb praised LAFW’s new direction and for the first time in over a decade, LAFW programming was listed on the official CFDA calendar.
However, Pardo and her collaborators have emphasized that they are not trying to make LAFW fit the mold of Fashion Week’s Big Four. Leaning into a seasonless format and LA’s reputation for housing up-and-comers rather than established labels, they want to create visibility for designers without exclusivity. Pardo described their vision in part as “creating a playground,” that encourages innovative and interdisciplinary ways of showcasing collections in addition to traditional runways.
In fact, the tagline of LA Fashion Week is “the intersection of fashion, beauty, tech, and sustainability,” and discussions were held with designers about how to incorporate beauty and tech into their events. Additionally, LAFW partnered with consultancy Eco-Age to support their sustainability efforts.
However, only time will tell if there is any longevity to Pardo and the N4XT team’s grand ambitions. LAFW’s track record is less than promising. Yet, LA does have much to offer the fashion community. Fairfax Avenue has become a hub of street style. Wholesale buyers flock to the Fashion District’s many showrooms during Market Week. Even premier fashion labels, such as Dior and Ralph Lauren, have recently shown collections in Los Angeles.
If October's events were only a preview, there are sure to be more eyes on LA Fashion Week this coming spring. Hopefully, they will see N4XT and Pardo’s goals manifest on the runway. If not, it may be onto the n4xt for LAFW.