Because of pandemic, Pittsburgh Fashion Week has virtual look this year
Pittsburgh Fashion Week will have a signature look this year.
Because of the pandemic, the event is being held virtually Sept. 21-25.
There won’t be an in-person runway show, but there will be plenty of style, said John Valentine, executive director of the Downtown Community Development Corp., which is hosting with the Pittsburgh Fashion Alliance, an organization that offers workshops, lectures, classes, social gatherings and fashion shows.
“This year, we are trying new things and going to see how things go, and which events work and which event we might have to change for next year,” Valentine said. “We believe we have so many cool things this year that connect fashion with music, dance and film.”
The schedule includes a film festival, panel discussions, live music, designer studio tours, tutorials and workshops and fashion feature stories called Artists Alley, which will highlight individuals who are talented in music, art, books, dance and design. The film festival welcomed independent filmmakers to submit entries in categories that include glam, innovation, music, style, documentary, campaign, cinematography, direction and emerging. Panel discussions include talks on sustainability. There will be 10 bands performing during the week, as well as dance videos presenting fashion as a theme.
There will be podcasts and collaborations with other fashion weeks across the U.S.
This year @PGHFW partners with the following cities: @baltimorefashwk @DenverFashionWk @FashionWeekCBUS @indianafw & @NashFashWeek for programming like never seen before in the 'Burgh!https://t.co/JT3HCdpQiD #FashionWeek #pghfashion #fashionista #pghstyle #pittsburghfashion
— Downtown CDC (@DowntownCDC) September 8, 2020
Fashion week alumni designers will showcase their collections in pictures. One of those is Brian David Thompson of Green Tree. He said he advocated for this year to be about going for something completely different because of covid-19. Among the challenges, he said, was trying to find a place for a photo shoot for his Brian David Designs collection.
Pittsburgh-based photographer Dominique Murray helped coordinate a studio shoot at a warehouse in Braddock, Thompson said. That involved individual makeup brushes for each model and designing masks to accompany each outfit, Thompson said.
“We wanted to have a fashion week, so we took all the necessary precautions,” Thompson said. “We designers felt like we needed to do something to keep a fashion week presence in Pittsburgh. That is so important.”
Thompson also will present a sewing tutorial about three ways to put in a zipper, give viewers a tour of his studio as part of Artists Alley and participate in a panel discussion on sustainability.
“Designers like Brian are so talented, and he is part of an amazing fashion community in Pittsburgh,” Valentine said. “I think sometimes it is under the radar, but Pittsburgh is fashionable. Even though it won’t be like previous Pittsburgh Fashion Weeks with live runway shows and events, it will still be a pretty amazing week.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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