Designer Networking Event at The Chicago Creative Lounge

On Monday, February 8th the Mayors Fashion Council hosted a designer discussion and reception at the Creative Lounge Chicago. It was a fabulous success, being well attended and hosted by some of Chicago’s most successful creatives.

The morning began with an opportunity to mingle over muffins and hot coffee; while new connections were made between attendees from all aspects of the fashion industry. I met a range of people, from students in their senior year at one of the many local fashion institutes, to seasoned veterans of the fashion industry who were there to voice their concerns over the impact the economy has made on their local businesses.

The event was officially opened through an introduction by it’s hosts, including a foreward by Lee Allison and recognition of the designers who currently work out of the studio space at the Creative Lounge- including our very own Lidia Wachowska, the creative mastermind behind Evil Kitty.

After a little background about the space itself, each table of attendees became it’s own discussion group, headed by a member of The Chicago Fashion Council. The point of the discussion group was to be a forum in which to voice your questions and concerns, and a place to bounce feedback and suggestions off your fellow designers. Our table was headed by Lee Allison, and primarily consisted of this years group of incoming designers into the Macy’s Fashion Incubator. A few of the topics covered included the question of how to keep designers local, and the need to bring big businesses back to Chicago, such as Sears, who often employed many of the hundreds of new fashion graduates pouring out of our schools each year. The economic effect on local small businesses was a hot topic, of which it was continuously concluded that a sense of community and shared resources between designers would be the only thing that can keep Chicago moving towards it’s goal of having a real and sustainable presence as a fashion capitol.

As a move toward building a sense of community in the Chicago fashion scene, this was a fantastic step in the right direction. I saw people everywhere connecting with friends, exchanging business cards, and sharing advice on everything from where to find space to how to get in touch with local manufacturers. The event even extended beyond the borders of fashion to include local artists whose installations were not only the centerpiece of the space itself, but created a great topic of conversation for all the new connections happening around them.

Keep checking back with us, as there are many more great upcoming events that will be happening at The Chicago Creative Lounge. You can look forward to seeing some of Chicago’s hottest new labels premiere there collections here, as well as meet Lidia and some of Chicago’s hottest up and coming talent.