LOS ANGELES, Mar 29, 2003/ FW/ -- With Los Angeles Fashion Week starting next week, the LA fashion scene is heating up.

Designer & Agents, an alternative trade show group is bringing together fashion designers and retailers across the country for their first Los Angeles Fashion Week Gala.

Founded by fashion visionaries Barbara Kramer and Ed Mandelbaum, Designers & Agents is an alternative trade show.

Its mission is to represent the best of young designers and contemporary fashion to the global marketplace.

D&A, which is celebrating its sixth year, has been described as the most innovative and directional international clothing and accessories exhibition in Los Angeles, New York and Japan.

More design studio than trade show, D & A sets itself apart with a comfortable, open layout and modern environment, creating a tone of camaraderie rather than a typical corporate trade show environment.

"Designers & Agents believes that trade shows should be a pleasurable experience that reflect the diverse interests of buyers and sellers," say founders Barbara Kramer and Ed Mandelbaum.

True to their word, D&A which is renowned for discovering hip venues is holding the gala at The Cooper Design Space located at the heart of the LA Fashion District.

Offering 2 floors of designer discounted stores and designer studios, The Cooper Design Space is part of the $8 billion hub of the Southern California Apparel Industry.

The LA Fashion District rivals New York's garment district in size and reputation for premiering trend-setting fashions.

D&A is a pioneer in the downtown Los Angeles movement. As a founding member of The Intersection, a promotional think-tank for the four showroom buildings - California Market Center, the New Mart, the Gerry Building and the Cooper Design Space, has been pivotal in bringing a tremendous amount of traffic to downtown Los Angeles area.

And they are doing it again with their first Los Angeles Fashion Week Gala.

Sponsored by Elle Magazine and Chrysler Motors, the event will include a party, exhibition and runway presentation.

Billed as D&A Friends and Family, the runway show will feature style mavens of the West Coast.

Industry personalities, designers and celebrities will walk the runway in Fall 2003 designs from D & A exhibitors.

The event will take place on April 5th, from 7:30 pm to 10:00pm at The Cooper Design Space, 860 S Los Angeles Street. With the fashion show starting at 8:30pm.