StyleWeek shines light on growing fashion culture in Providence

Sarah Prost is a fashion designer who has chosen to make Providence, rather than a larger city, her home.
Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, where she received her diploma in fashion design at the former Helen Lefeaux School of Fashion Design, she lived for a while in New Hampshire but is grateful that she discovered Providence, a place “with big-city qualities squished into a perfect package,” she said.
But more than any attractions the Creative Capital has to offer, Prost values the many connections she has been able to make in the world of fashion. After meeting StyleWeek Providence founder Rosanna Ortiz Sinel, she jumped at the chance to show her designs at the inaugural StyleWeek event in June 2010. And she will do so again this month at the second StyleWeek Providence, running from Jan. 16 through Jan. 22.
Prost is but one of many fashion designers – no one knows for sure exactly how many – who live and draw inspiration from Rhode Island’s capital city, begging the question: Is Providence on its way to rivaling Boston as the fashion hub of New England?
“Providence has been that doughnut hole between Boston and New York. It’s been overshadowed by those cities,” said Marc Allen Streisand, owner and operator of Marc Allen Fine Clothiers on South Main Street and a designer of men’s wear. “But now Providence is starting to get its own voice.”
“We are not a spinoff of Boston,” said Sinel. “We are closing the gap. … There is a spark and creativity that Providence has that cannot be replicated anywhere else.”
Evidence that Providence is a growing fashion hub appears mostly anecdotal, though the early success of StyleWeek is one clear indication.
Based at the Providence Biltmore Hotel downtown, the event comprises a seven-day series of fashion shows featuring local designers by invitation-only, most of them from Providence, with before- and after-show parties at various venues to allow for considerable networking. Most of the fashion shows are not open to the public.
“As an emerging designer, StyleWeek has introduced me to more people than I could have imagined – from designers to photographers to makeup/hair artists – all of them being extremely talented, friendly and helpful,” Prost told Providence Business News. “I think Providence is starting to make a name for itself in the fashion industry.” A California native who has lived in Boston, Sinel created the event in Providence to “focus on the business of fashion here in Rhode Island” by bringing together designers, buyers and other fashion specialists in a way that would show that the Creative Capital has much to offer the fashion world. She works with a staff of eight, all volunteers, and fashion “is our passion,” she said.
The event is supported by the fees charged to designers (Sinel declined to specify the fee) and through sponsorships, such as the support of Tiffany & Co., whose Providence Place store holds fundraisers for StyleWeek. In return, the store gets tickets to the runway shows. “We entertain our best clients with privileged, front-row seats,” said Peter B. Englehart, who manages Tiffany & Co.’s Providence Place store. “It’s something you can’t buy.”
The inaugural StyleWeek was so successful that organizers, following the lead of haute couture capitals around the world, decided to offer it twice a year to show fall and spring lines. Sinel said 2,800 people attended one or more events throughout the June week and she expects 2,500 to be here this month. Included in that number are “at least 25” buyers for retail outlets who have accepted invitations to attend.
Buyers can make a designer successful by picking up his or her line for regional or national distribution. Although no one from Providence has become a big name at the national level, Sinel knows of several local designers whose pieces are offered for sale in small boutiques in Providence and Boston. Prost, for instance, sells some of her work at Queen of Hearts.
Jeff Lahens creates clothes for men for his company, ECC Life & Style, a Boston-based fashion design and marketing firm. He deals only in custom-made men’s wear, offering what he called “very classic [clothes] with a new-world flair.” He came to StyleWeek Providence in June.
“We [stole the show],” he said with a satisfied chuckle, “because we were the only men’s wear showing and people were very happy to see us.”
He found Providence to be remarkably receptive to aficionados of fashion. “I’m sure Providence is going to make its mark soon [as a fashion hub],” he said. The Providence fashion scene “is something that people don’t know about, they don’t know it’s around, but once people realize the talent that is here, they’ll be surprised.” That talent is nurtured in several ways. Rhode Island is home to more designers of every kind per capita than most other states, surveys in recent years have shown, due in large part to the Rhode Island School of Design. At least three major universities offer well-regarded bachelor’s degree programs in fashion and/or textiles – RISD, Johnson & Wales University and the University of Rhode Island. Graduate programs also are at RISD and URI, with all three schools offering students the option to study abroad.
“We have had many students stay in Rhode Island after graduation,” said Melanie St. Jean, associate professor of fashion merchandising and retail management at Johnson & Wales. “Many have done internships in and around Providence and after graduation they have been offered permanent jobs.”
Others are Rhode Island natives, such as designer Andrea Valentini, who graduated from RISD in 1995. She will debut her ready-to-wear women’s wear collection, titled “Emergence,” at the January show. She also designs jewelry, has developed her own signature textiles and she launched a high-end collection of what she calls “lifestyle bags for men and women” in 2007.
StyleWeek is a great way for designers to make connections, said Bridget Flynn, vice president of sales and marketing for Valentini, whose office is at Providence Piers. “We wish it had been done sooner,” Flynn said.
She has attended many fashion shows in New York City and sees Providence “gaining momentum” as a fashion hub. StyleWeek, Flynn said, reminds her of the smaller, intimate gatherings often part of New York fashion weeks. “I don’t know if [StyleWeek] ever will compare, but Providence has the potential to get to that caliber.”
For Prost, Providence already has fulfilled its promise. Specializing in what she described as “lively, whimsical” garments with a vintage feel, she started her own company, Yellow Clover, and has shown her styles in Vancouver and Boston.
But “best of all,” she said, was the invitation to present the opening show at StyleWeek this month. “People want to go to Providence,” she said. “It has beautiful landscaping, fabulous restaurants and a swirling, creative energy that draws people in.” •