VEHICLE CITY FASHION WEEK 

Vehicle City Fashion Week (V.C.F.W.) is approaching its Fourth Annual week of fashion and entertainment events! VCFW is composed of Art and Fashion related events that feature various artists and designers, with a focus on Michigan Artist. This event was founded by Kala Wilburn, designer and owner of Fannie Lucille; a custom made handbag and apparel collection. Being a designer in New York City helped her to realize the opportunities for fashion designers within her own community. Once she married and relocated to her hometown of Flint, MI, she decided to feature the unique minds of artists and designers in a Fashion Week format.

 

Over the years VCFW Runway show has displayed manby Michigan designers, retail stores and boutiques. The Show has had over 1,000 attendees, volunteers and models. Vehicle City Fashion Week has enabled community businesses to build a platform for expansion and support, while creating fashion industry awareness and development.

 

This year, Vehicle City Fashion Week will include many events during the week of November 17-21, 2015. There will be an opening ceremony, Networking, Workshops, Sneaker Swap Runway/Trunk Shows and much more. Our mission is to promote designers and artists who thirst for opportunities, while educating the community through exposure to fashion industry professionals within Genesee County. In our most recent year we have added a new component to our show that gives designers and vendors an opportunity to present to buyers and potentially be placed in boutiques nationally.

 

Lastly, our Fashion Against Violence movement helps to propel individuals in the community who have been affected by violence. In October 2013, Antonio Anthony (brother of Kala Wilburn) was killed due to gun violence in the Flint community. He was an aspiring music artist and fashion designer. We want to give our community an outlet to express themselves through the art of fashion. Our goal is to be of assistance to those affected by violence by cultivating their artistic gifts and giving them a safe environment to express themselves. This encourages them to heal and grow through diverse situations that were caused by the violence within their communities.

 

Over the years our runway fundraiser show has provided Flint students with opportunities to attend Mercedes Benz Fashion Week andFree Fashion Boot Camps for designers to learn how to create their own personal brand. Every year we find a new way to make an impact. This year we have added the AMRA Fashion Scholarship in honor of Antonio Anthony.