What civic and cultural leaders are saying about Fashion Week Cleveland, "the educational fashion week"!

Value Statements from Leaders Who Know.

Another great opportunity for our entire community to celebrate creativity through Art and Design.  A fashion show and runway event isn't just about cutting edge consumerism for fun or sophisticated outfits for the season, but it is a snapshot of a moment in our evolving aesthetic development and a reflection on our cultural values and interests.  It is exhilarating and fun!
David L. Deming – President and CEO
Cleveland Institute of Art

Fashion Week Cleveland is a great educational opportunity for students, instructors and industry leaders. 
Thank you for your hard work.

Constance Korosec, Ph.D. - Chair
School of Fashion Design and Merchandising
Ursuline College

Fashion Week Cleveland is a time to celebrate the accomplishments Cleveland has made in the fashion industry.  The talent that comes from professionals doing business in Cleveland rivals those nationally and internationally.
Vincent Quevedo - Assistant Professor
School of Fashion Design and Merchandising

Kent State University

Fashion Week Cleveland.... is an extraordinary initiative which both educates us and celebrates the cultural and economic impact of the fashion industry.  It is a unique event that provides an opportunity for all of us to be captivated by the amazing work being done by local and national designers.  Kudos to Donald Shingler for his vision and leadership!

Catherine Monnin - Branch Services Director

Cuyahoga County Public Library


Fashion Week Cleveland, a regional phenomenon that has become the nation’s third largest fashion week after New York and Los Angeles.

Cecily Hall – Reporter
Women’s Wear Daily


Six years ago, Donald Shingler made “no mistake on the lake” when he founded Cleveland Fashion Week…  In step with the trends of this “new American city,” Cleveland Fashion Week reflects all the essence of Cleveland’s transformation, having gained the reputation as “the educational fashion week.”

Francesco Di Maio – International Designer Representative
Fashion by Francesco


By throwing the spotlight on collaborations between designers, models and fashionistas, then dropping his runway events and educational programs into the unexpected venues FWC director Dr. Donald Shingler has ignited everyone from fashion students to professionals to aficionados.  FWC sits comfortably at the intersection of art, commerce and entrepreneurship with engaging events around the region.   

Thomas Mulready – Creator
CoolCleveland, Art and Culture Internet Publication

Fashion Week a multi media mecca of fashion on the edge – a sweet indulgence for the eye and the imagination.
James Levin – Co-creator and Founder
Cleveland Ingenuity Art Festival

Creating a partnership with Fashion Week Cleveland builds diverse audiences for the organizations involved and provides a unique opportunity to reach new advocates and enthusiasts.
Bernadette Gillotta - Executive Director
Ohio Independent Film Festival
Independent Pictures


Educate, explore and express.  Expose, promote and transform.  Creative, diverse and cool.  Fashion Week Cleveland is a celebration of Design.
Peter F. Spittler – Principal Architect
Forum Architects


Fashion Week Cleveland is a project that has impressed me in various ways since it started.   The steady growth, constant refinement and consistency of this venue is sure to become an important part of Cleveland's future.  The multitude of events that unfold during Fashion Week have cast a spotlight on the incredible talents possessed by Clevelanders of many walks.
Hector Vega – Artist
VegaArt


Fashion Week Cleveland is an extraordinary event …  The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission is thrilled to participate in Fashion Week Cleveland’s educational programming and to demonstrate the vital link of sport and fashion as evidenced through AC Milan’s partnership with Dolce & Gabanna.  Events such as Fashion Week Cleveland and the upcoming AC Milan Continental Cup assert Cleveland as a world-class city.  

Carol D. Payto – Vice President, Marketing
Greater Cleveland Sports Commission


Fashion Week Cleveland is a blend of style, innovation and class…  a sign of our city's future. 
David Purpera – President
Flique Creative
SpotCleveland.com


Fashion Week Cleveland mixes the business and pleasure of fashion into an exotic mood that is truly addictive.

Hugo Urizar – President
Mercohispano.com


Fashion Week is a wonderful array of activities rolled into a week of education, exhibits and visual runway excitement that parallels New York Shows.  I was blown away by the Wearable Art Show.  The passion and creative energy that each local designer brings to the runway should make Clevelanders proud to be a part of such a dynamic week.

Victoria Poole – Design Specialist
Galleria at Erieview


Fashion Week Cleveland shines a spotlight on the many positive and unique aspects of our city.  It highlights the intelligence, the talent and the creativity of these young Cleveland designers and fashion industry entrepreneurs.
Cynthia Schuster Eakin - Publisher
This Week In Cleveland


Fashion Week Cleveland is a great way to spotlight the culture and creativity that makes Cleveland so unique.
William Nottingham – Industrial and Consumer Products Designer
Nottingham – Spirk Design Associates


My involvement with Fashion Week Cleveland is such a benefit to me as a new and young up and coming designer as I am still an unknown name here in the city.  The exposure that I am receiving from Fashion Week as well as the experience of my first legitimate fashion production is such an asset to the growth of my business and the beginning of my career.  Donald and his team have been so helpful and supportive of me as a designer in this process and i am looking forward to next years event even more!
Valerie Mayen – Fashion Designer
Cleveland, Ohio


For me, the best part of Cleveland Fashion Week was seeing my collection realized on the runway.
Gina Dudik – Fashion Designer and Boutique Owner
Little Italy - Cleveland, Ohio


Fashion Week Cleveland is a great learning experience for any fashion designer, to see what actually goes into staging a runway show, how your pieces look and feel as a collection, and most importantly, to understand where you can improve on the next time.  It was a great event to be a part of for several years.
Kriztina Lazar – Artist and Fashion Designer
CIA Graduate, San Francisco Graduate Art Student


As a working Media Artist in the city of Cleveland and an instructor of Filmmaking and Photography, I'm proud to say that Cleveland Fashion Week has opened up new avenues for my students in both exploration and collaboration in  media design and fashion photography.
Robert C. Banks, Jr.
Media Artist and Instructor
Cuyahoga Community College and Cleveland Institute of Art

Fashion Week Cleveland not only gives you the modern runways and latest fashions, it also collaborates with local museums & universities to let you see fashions of eras gone by. 
Jil Renee Sah – Education Director
International Women’s Air & Space Museum


Fashion Week Cleveland is one of my favorite events of the year.  Nice to see stylish people coming together and having a great time. Well done!
Zedenko Zovich – Proprietor
XO Prime Steaks


It was great to see the variety of choices in men’s fashion.  Fashion Week Cleveland also exposed the great stores that you can shop everyday at Beachwood Place.
Tim Richards – Disc Jockey
Q104 Radio – Cleveland


Many people assume only places like NYC, Paris or Milan attract high-caliber fashion events.  However, for those of us that enjoy high fashion and call Cleveland home, this is a not to miss high-caliber event located in our own backyard.
Laura Ambro – Publicist and Account Executive
Owens Group


Fashion Week Cleveland helped me gain the publicity I needed to push me to further my business. I gained local exposure (in publications) which was used on my resumé for grad school and job applications.  Fashion Week Cleveland helped me get to where I am today!
Brittany Rucella – Designer
Graduate, Cleveland Institute of Art


(Fashion Week Cleveland) It's a week filled with lights, camera & glam...  right here in Cleveland!
Melissa Mack – Weather Reporter
FOX8 TV – Cleveland


Fashion Week Cleveland provides the city with an opportunity to showcase the incredible shopping and talented designers there are in what is traditionally known as an industrial town. Cleveland, Ohio is chic and hip.  Fashion week is a big part of getting that message out. 

Christopher S. Forgy - Vice President/General Manager
WZAK-FM, WENZ-FM, WJMO-AM, WERE-AM


Fashion Week Cleveland offers events that are not only aesthetically pleasing showcases of clothes, but also creative learning-experiences. Fashion has the ability to teach people about history, art, and self-expression.  It allows viewers to explore creativity and to appreciate the talent and hard work of designers and retailers.  Events like these enrich the lives of Clevelanders and make our city a well-rounded, eccentric and exciting place to live and visit.
Jessica Goodworth – Administrator
Rock the House Entertainment


Fashion Week Cleveland…  a major regional week-long event that can inform visitors and local consumers about the artistic importance and economic contributions of the fashion industry as well as support fashion design, manufacture, education, and retail growth in Northeast Ohio.
James Harris
Partner, H/L Communications


This cultural showcase has at its focus the exquisite designs of the most skilled and savvy individuals reflecting the growth of the fashion community.
Barb D'Avilla – President
D’Avila Model Management


I have been involved with Cleveland Fashion Week for the last handful of years.  It is beneficial to the City of Cleveland as well as designers and artists such as myself and provides us with an outlet to show our work and meet others in our field.  Dr. Shingler even provided me with the opportunity to work with Nary Manivong during his fall 2009 collection showing in New York City.

Dartanya Butcher – Designer
Graduate, Kent State University School of Design and Merchandising


I think Fashion Week Cleveland has many benefits such as meeting new people and exposure for the up and comers.

Shalira Taylor – Makeup Artist


Once a year, Fashion Week Cleveland steps in to remind us that fashion is a statement accessible to more than just the New York City scene or Hollywood red carpets.  Fashion Week makes us want to celebrate our own artistic voices in the choices we make every day and, most importantly, makes us realize we don’t just have to admire from afar.
Tara Hawley – Singer/Songwriter and former model


Fashion Week Cleveland benefits our city by highlighting diverse organizations and individuals, which may seem unrelated at first, but have a common thread through fashion.  Cleveland is a city rich in the arts, including fashion!  We need to encourage growth and participation, and provide accessibility and awareness through events like Fashion Week Cleveland.
KB & Carmen – Professional Dancers
A Tango Romance

Fashion Week is adding even more character to our roots!  I have lived in this city my whole life, it's great to see how some things have stayed the same and others have changed for the better. Education is everything, and Fashion Week makes it FUN!!

Jessica Schmidt – Model

 
Fashion Week in Cleveland once again like the Rock Hall Week puts Cleveland at the center of all that is creative, entertaining and winning about the American spirit.  On this week in Cleveland America focused on Cleveland’s inventiveness, head and heart…..the little train “that could” launch the Midwest fashion trends in the 21^st Century….Bravo to Don and the FW team.

George Fraser – Chairman and CEO
FraserNet, Inc.


Fashion week Cleveland is much more than the latest styles and trends, although it certainly has that.  The true value of Fashion Week Cleveland comes from the tremendous educational opportunities.  It is unique in its commitment to educate the public on fashion, fabric and historical relevance.  It represents a rare combination of fun, fashion and facts.
Deborah Hanson – Vice President
ClevelandWomen.com


Fashion week Cleveland is a culmination of the artistic endeavor that will catapult this city’s status to it’s deserved place.  The network that supports this display allows all Clevelanders to take pride in our city.
Greg Sotak – Photographer
Digital Image


NASA is always interested in reaching new and diverse audiences with our story of exploration in air and space.  Fashion Week Cleveland provided an opportunity to discuss the important role NASA attire plays in achieving our missions.  In the world of high fashion, image is everything.  When you are 200 miles away from Earth in the vacuum of space, it's easy to understand why form follows function.

David M. DeFelice - Community Relations Team Lead
NASA Glenn – Cleveland


Fashion Week Cleveland performs a critical function for a special part of Northeastern Ohio's creative and business community.  It affords the up-and-coming regional fashion designers important facetime with the public and access to the geographically distant national fashion stages.  Further, university graduate students in fashion design have their first exposure to the world they hope to shape and form --- both figuratively and literally.
Craig Williams – Aerospace Engineer


Every year, a great opportunity (is) given to Hispanic designers and models, to showcase their talents.
Randy Michael - Founder and CEO
RB Publishing & El Sol de Cleveland newspaper

The series of fashion related events throughout Greater Cleveland and beyond serves as a platform for both established industry professionals and aspiring newcomers to showcase their work as well as network with peers and the public.  Accessibility and diversity in programming allow the public to engage the week on many levels; experienceing a show, taking in an exhibit, participation in an educational program or joining in the festivities at a party.  The week also contributes to a sense of civic pride about what the region has to offer and how it continues to evolve.  You're invited to become an active participant in the local fashion community by supporting local style makers during Cleveland Fashion Week and throughout the rest of the year.

Fatina Salaheddine - Publisher & CEO
Al Sahafa newspaper

Cleveland has long been a fashion center and a number of small fashion enterprises are taking hold.  Fashion Week events

can nurture this growth.
Jean L. Dreusedow - Director
Kent State University Costume Museum

It's about design.  It's about education.
It's about retail business development in the American garment industry.
Donald C. Shingler, President and Founder
Fashion Week Cleveland