Johnstown Fashion Week to bring events to area

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The sky’s the limit as Johnstown gears up to put its fashionable face forward.

Johnstown Fashion Week will be held Sept. 18 through 21 at various sites in downtown Johnstown. It will feature styles and trends from local and regional designers, along with models and professionals in the industry.

Johnstown Fashion Week organizer Camillya Taylor, owner of Camille’s House of Styles and Boutique, 161 Village St. in the Moxham section of Johnstown, said this season’s event is all about skylines.

“When you go to New York Fashion Week, everything is about the skyline, and we don’t have that. But when you go on top of the Vine Street parking garage, our city is so beautiful and that offers the perfect view of the city,” she said.

“I thought we need to do our show there. It’s going to be a big show, and we’re excited to see how it’s going to turnout.”

The four-day event will provide networking opportunities, a design class, photography exhibition and car cruise, and will be capped off with a fashion show.

“We have a lot of resources here where we can prepare people for the fashion industry,” Taylor said. “We’re getting more people who are traveling to come here to be a part of it because they like the aspect of community.”

The week will kick off from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 18 with a happy hour at Balance Restaurant, 411 Main St., downtown Johnstown.

“This will be a chance to meet entrepreneurs, designers, photographers and models to connect and switch business cards,” Taylor said. “We want to create an atmosphere of networking.”

From 4 to 5:30 p.m. Sept. 19, a design and branding class with Amy Henson will be offered at Craftworks Studio, 140 Gazebo Park in downtown Johnstown.

“She has a wonderful sewing room and will show people around, so if you want to become a designer or start beginner classes she will be able to answer questions,” Taylor said. “This is a chance to show people their options.”

Cost is $10.

A fashion photography exhibition will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 20 at Gallery on Gazebo, 140 Gazebo Park in downtown Johnstown.

The show will feature the work of regional photographers Rick Law, Amanda Popish and Lawrence Smith, who will be on site to discuss their work.

“I encourage people who have small businesses or stores who are looking for pictures for their store to come out or maybe you’re looking to connect with a photographer for pictures, this will be a good opportunity,” Taylor said. “We also will be doing a live makeover during the exhibition.”

Cost is $20.

A car cruise will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 21 on the rooftop of the Vine Street parking garage in downtown Johnstown.

“It’s first-come, first-serve, and we have 20 spots,” Taylor said.

There also will be vendors and musical entertainment offered throughout the car cruise.

Cost is $10.

The event will cap off at 7:30 p.m. with the Rooftop Skyline Fashion Show on the parking garage rooftop.

“These designers are amazing, and we have nine of them,” Taylor said. “We have 28 models, and many of them just came back from New York Fashion Week. We have models from Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, West Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey and New York.”

There will be music by Nia Taylor and Project 814 along with vendors.

“The whole thing is going to be absolutely gorgeous,” Taylor said. “We want people to take Johnstown Fashion Week seriously, and even though our town is small we have people who are paying attention. We’re doing it, and it’s growing every season.”

Cost is $15 for standing room and $30 for general admission.

Event tickets can be purchased online at www.eventbrite.com or at the individual events.

For more information, visit www.johnstownfashionweek.com.