“It’s truly about fashion,” explained Executive Director Jose Gomez. “It’s not a church service, there’s no praise and worship. It’s very much the format of a fashion week.”
Many will be taking in the Florida Fashion scene this month at Christian Fashion Week 2015: The Final Season set to kick-off Sunday, February 15th leading up to the fashion show on Friday, February 20th. Christian and Non-Christian designers from around the world send in their drawings and samples from their collection to compete to be a part of the event, but only a few are chosen. The elite eleven include plus sized fashions, Indian inspired attire, active wear and men’s fashion: Katie Martinez with Elegantees (sex-trafficking advocacy), Medinah Hagan-Morgan with Medi, Vonique Mason-Edwards with Mikra, Angel Myers with Angel Myers Designs (plus-sized fashions) and Sumita Bhojwani with KalaXpress (Indian inspired designer). Other fashions by: Aleksandra Salo with Aleksandra Classic Design, Constance Franklin with ckfcreate by Constance, Florida-native Essence Flowers with Essence Flower Designs, dance-inspired fashion by Tatjana Sladojvec with Noka Posh, Viji Reddy of Alamwar Textiles (Indian inspired designer) and active wear creations by Kirsten Warner with OnePrize Performance.
The CFW veteran, Julia Chew will also make a much anticipated presentation unveiling a one-of-a-kind garment made especially for this year’s show. The Xiaolin piece is inspired by her career as a designer and person of faith. There will also be a special Resurrection Collection inspired by the events surrounding Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We’ve all heard the Christian term, “modest is the hottest,” but it would seem this year’s fashion show is taking a shift in another direction focused on the Christian value of social responsibility. “So, this year, one of our workshops during Christian Fashion Week is titled, “Killing the Christian Woman: How Modesty Misses the Mark,” says Gomez. “As an organization, we intend to shift our focus to those more global concerns that we feel are closer to the heart of God than the topic of cultural modesty.”
"The designers that we have chosen for The Final Season represent a wide spectrum of choices available for men and women who hold modesty as a core value," insisted Gomez. "However, what is of more significance is the fact that each brand in our showcase has also paid special attention to environmental and human rights concerns. There is a culture of sustainability as well as social and environmental responsibility that counts for much more than regulating hemlines and cleavage."
Christian Fashion Week 2015 The Final Season fashion show will be held at The Vault in downtown Tampa culminating a weeklong event of festivities on February 20th starting at 7 p.m. General admission and VIP tickets can be purchased online at www.ChristianFashionWeek.com. Shopping and indulging in fashion isn’t the only way style lovers can get involved. Those interested have the option to also work backstage as a volunteer or become one of the 100 Fashionistas helping to keep the CFW mission going for years to come. To find out more on this visit here.
