Portland Fashion Week (PFW) is not in the business of “uniting the local fashion industry”, Marjorie, just like NY FW is not in the business of uniting any specific group of fashion designers.

The job of fashion week production is to provide a stage and showcase for designers who want to take advantage of that for furthering their commercial success and make the decent living that they deserve but often struggle to make. I believe, Portland Fashion Week did an awesome job by creating the amazing setup, production and organization and drew national and international attention to Portland’s fashion industry, which even Portland mayor recognized. If you had gone to shows in NY FW in Bryant Park tents or in LA FW in Smashbox studios, as I did, you would have known, that, this was a world class staging and production they presented here.

In my view, it was the most well produced and well organized fashion event Portland has ever seen at such a big scale and Portlanders should be proud of it. I was in PFW every day and I have seen PFW attracted press from all over the world, as far as from NY, Canada and Europe, and buyers from major retailers, like Mario’s and from other countries in Europe, which is another big way PFW hit the mark of fulfilling its objective, not miss it. I would assume, you, as a board member of PFW would take note of those things, and share some responsibility of the limitations you mentioned. I have noticed, in this story you conveniently forgot to mention that disclaimer that you are a PFW board member, unlike the story you wrote last year. Why is that? I still see your name as a Board member in their website.

Is ignoring to mention the positive things of a fashion week and bashing it, because some of your personal favorite designers aren't there considered fair journalism?

Thanks,

Sachin Thomas
sachin@pdx.edu