SPRINGFIELD — Although FAB Passion Fashion Week New England has changed venues since it first debuted in Turners Falls in 2018, the core team’s commitment to diversity and community has remained steadfast.
That’s according to Richie Richardson, founder and producer of FAB Passion Fashion Week New England, which moved to Springfield in 2023. The “core team” of members who have been involved with FAB Passion Fashion Week since the beginning include Creative Director and Production Designer Richard Young, Stylist and Casting Director Jerry Jordan-Brown and Digital Specialist Stephen Doobal, who aim to showcase the diversity of fashion among the designers themselves, the types of clothing showcased on a range of models or the stories behind the collections.
“Fashion is diverse. Fashion takes influences from everywhere, everything, all different regions of the world,” said Richardson, who launched his brand FAB Inc. with a Turners Falls storefront. “For us, it was about [bringing] all of that focus right here into Springfield.”
This year’s FAB Passion Fashion Week will kick off on Friday, Oct. 23, with a VIP ticket-holder and invitation-only event at the Robyn Newhouse Hall at the Community Music School of Springfield at 127 State St. The event, from 5 to 8 p.m., will give attendees a chance to mingle with the production team, the designers and models, along with elected officials, fashion week partners, sponsors and members of the media.
Saturday, Oct. 24, is the big day, with the premium fashion show beginning at 6 p.m. and running until 9 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The show features a mix of new and established designers from New England, New York, the Caribbean, and other states and countries, with models from New England and New York coming from professional and non-professional backgrounds.
The show also features music and visual performances to support the catwalk. Alysia Cutting, a New England entrepreneur and media personality, will emcee.
Designers featured on the runway will include Richardson, alongside Oral Welshman, Miranda Askie Designs, Elizabeth Lucas, Sanjules, The Cloth, Dominique La Roche, Charlene’s Boutique, OASIS TM Fashion World, Mark Eastman, and Zadd & Eastman. There are also numerous musicians who will perform during the show, including Steve Alves and Kenny Butler, Earl Brooks Jr., Evyan Diaz, Jason Lee, Arianna Vee and Layla Williams.
Richardson feels that hosting the event in Springfield serves as a chance to engage with the surrounding community by highlighting local designers and artists on the same stage as others from around the world. To connect with the Springfield community, a fashion ambassador program was launched in 2024. Five ambassadors are involved with the show.
“You may not always know of a specific designer,” Richardson said, “but we recognize that there are communities of people who are makers, creators, artists, designers, all contributing to the fashion ecosystem, and we wanted to create a platform to give those people exposure.”
While the designers have range in what clothes they design, the designs themselves cater to a range of model body types. The mix of professional and non-professional models, with an open casting call for all ages, brings this type of diversity to the stage. After all, “fashion is designed for people,” Richardson noted.
Combining these elements is what makes the show a “fashion opera,” he explained — it’s a combination of storytelling and artistic expression to showcase each designer.
“Each designer’s story is the story we use, and craft the music, the lighting and the presentation to present their collection to the audiences,” Richardson said.
Coming together
While already a multifaceted presentation, there is an underlying theme that spans the show, called “Come Together.” Richardson is candid; this theme is inspired by how people have found ways to support each other despite the “messaging” from the White House under President Donald Trump that has created “such distress, such tension, such dissent.”
In light of seeing how neighbors have come together to support each other during a time division, Richardson said he was inspired by this kind of action, and that fashion has a “responsibility” that gives this message of overcoming division a platform.
“Fashion has a responsibility because we have a platform that is entertaining. It is creative, but it gets people’s attention,” Richardson said. “So, I figured we should use this moment to speak truth to power.”
To encapsulate this theme, Richardson said part of his presentation on the runway will make a statement about coming together. Additionally, he sees fashion as one of the most “egalitarian” industries that impacts every single person in the world who put clothes on at some point during their day, connecting everyone to fashion and the designers responsible.
“This has been our entire life experience and work,” Richardson said, reflecting on the core team’s commitment to the fashion show over the years. “One of the things that I feel fortunate about, and literally boast about, is the richness of what we bring. That core team, the authenticity of that core team, is really, really, really solid.”
Tickets to FAB Passion Fashion Week New England start at $50 for general admission and $100 for VIP admission. Tickets are available at fpfwne.com/tickets.
