Kansas City has been in celebration since this year’s Super Bowl win by the Chiefs – and now, here is another highlight taking place in just a few days! Kansas City Fashion Week (KCFW) is held bi-annually and produced by CEO Philip Willoughby and President Teisha Barber. The Spring-Summer 2023 collections for KCFW will be held from March 4^th – 11^th, 2023. In advance of the upcoming runway events, Teisha and Phil, who serve on the CFDA Connects Leadership Committee, share what to expect this season.

To begin, how long has KCFW been running and what are your most proud accomplishments as an organization?  

Phil Willoughby:  In 2010 we began planning our first show.  There had been other organizations attempting to launch a successful fashion week experience in Kansas City, but none had been able to sustain the event after only one or two attempts.  So our approach was to take very conservative, deliberate steps to successfully execute a small fashion week while building relationships with the various fashion industry businesses. Using that first show as a steppingstone, we added elements and new shows each season to gradually build KCFW and not overextend our market and participants.

Teisha Barber : I’d say we are most proud of the amazing support the local fashion industry has given us. We have a large planning team made up of people from all aspects of the local fashion community. It really is a community-based event.

What would you say makes KCFW unique as a regional fashion organization?

T.B.: While we focus on our local designers, we also have national designers join us each season.  This gives our local runway a national audience. With our partnerships with Union Station of Kansas City (a nationally recognized, historic location) and our long-time production partner, A to Z Theatrical Productions (which is one of the leading production companies in the Midwest), we are able to provide our designers with an east-coast quality event without having to invest the incredible amount of time and resources they would otherwise have to invest.

I pulled an interesting fact about the history of fashion success in Kansas City. In the late 1940s Kansas City’s Garment District employed over 4,000 people and boasted that 1 out of every 7 women in the United States purchased garments made in Kansas City. How has the past influenced the work you are doing to amplify fashion in Kansas City and beyond?

P.W.: The history of the fashion industry in Kansas City is an absolute inspiration. Because we focus on the business side of the industry by providing an exciting and cost-efficient marketing tool for designers, we are driven to do everything we can to assist our designers to effectively market their apparel and rebuild a culture in Kansas City that attracts production houses and creatives to make Kansas City their home.

This season, there is something very special happening for the fashion community in Kansas City. Please tell us about the launch of the Kansas City Fashion Arts Fund (FAF).

T.B.: We are seriously excited about the launch of the Kansas City Fashion Arts Fund. For several years, our partner 501(c)(3) charity partner was called the Kansas City Fashion Council. Through the council, we were able to network and host industry events, but it is being relaunched with Jennifer Lapka as our Startup Consultant to focus on funding scholarships for area fashion students, as well as work with the CFDA Connects to offer educational programming for new and emerging fashion designers.

Congratulations and we are in great anticipation to see the expansion in results that come from this new initiative! Do you have any special highlights you’d like to share that we can expect to see during this season’s runway showcase?

T.B.: This season we’ve brought back our annual Bubbly + Bow Ties Kick-off Cocktail party and have even added a brand new event to our schedule. We’ve partnered with local art gallery, Weinberger Fine Art, to bring three designer’s collections to life in an immersive gallery presentation at their location in Kansas City’s Crossroads district that will be open to the public March 7th – 11th.

We have also partnered with several of our stylists to host a Runway Styling Masterclass a few days before the shows begin. This masterclass will go through all of the intricate designer looks for the upcoming season and give the individual artists a chance to ask questions on how to achieve those specific looks.

Each and every runway show night will show our audience innovative and creative designs from one of our 36 designers this season. There is much excitement buzzing around about the new additions to the Kansas City Fashion Week schedule and about the relaunch of Fashion Arts Fund, and we can’t wait to push even further with content and events next season!

As a CFDA Connects Associate participant, you’ve been part of the program since its inception in 2021. How has this relationship with the CFDA helped to further your mission and goals for KCFW?

P.W.: As an RFO, it is always challenging, despite our best efforts, to build relationships with major brands and organizations to provide the opportunities for our regional designers to attain national recognition. As soon as we became a CFDA Connects member, our designers were able to network with fashion professionals from across the nation in educational experiences. To have you, Elliot, and Steven Kolb attend our shows and meet the designer talent pool in our market continues to be a source of inspiration for our designers. Adding the educational aspects offered by CFDA Connects surrounding the business elements of the fashion industry is invaluable for our designers. And we know CFDA Connects is just getting started. We can’t wait for next year!

Find out more about Kansas City Fashion Week by visiting  www.kcfashionweek.com