LOS ANGELES, Oct 20, 2005/ FW/ --- As the Los Angeles season draws to a close, the City of Angels is once again faced with the question, ‘where is its place in the fashion universe?’

With New York, Milan and Paris dominating the fashion world, each of these cities have their ‘trademark’ so to speak. Paris is for high fashion; New York is for sportswear, while Milan is the perfect combination of the first two.

Los Angeles as a viable fashion capital is a given. It is far enough from New York not to be overshadowed by the Big Apple. Like New York, Los Angeles has a garment district too. Both cities are melting pots, populated by people from different backgrounds and different cultures.

While New York is a financial capital at the same time that it is a fashion capital, Los Angeles is an entertainment capital by virtue of Hollywood and Disneyland, but it is still struggling to be recognized as a fashion force.

The just concluded Mercedes Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios is one of the strongest seasons the city has had since April 2003 (Fall 2003 season) when the city’s quest for recognition in the fashion world began.

With Bradley Bayou and St. John headlining the week, talented emerging designers like Kevan Hall and Louis Verdad also took center stage.

Debutantes like Kelly Nishimoto, Chan Luu, Deborah Lindquest and Yana K wowed the audience with their distinctive collections.

Mainstays like Sue Wong, Shay Todd, Ashley Paige, Pegah Anvarian, Naqada, Single and Coco Kliks showed collections in their trademark styles, and did not disappoint the press and buyers present.

With very eclectic collections shown, there was no unifying force. Still, it is also the strength of Los Angeles. As one of the biggest population centers in the U.S., every designer who showed already has an established niche market at least in the West Coast.

So, what is the ingredient missing here? Or asked in a different way, what is the element that will glue everything together for Los Angeles to finally find its place?

‘It’s a very young scene,’ commented Serene Cicora of HSM PR, publicist for several designers who showed during the season. ‘New York fashion week is 15 years old, we still have a long way to go to reach the level of New York,’ she added good-naturedly.

‘The market here is still growing,’ observed Omar Cunningham of Mannfolk PR, which also handled several designers who showed during the season. ‘There is a lot of talent here. They just need nurturing,’ he concluded.

‘We believe in Los Angeles as a viable market, that’s why we are here.’ said Adnan Abbasi of Factory Communications, a New York-based PR company that is handling Red Engine Jeans and Charlotte Tarantola, two design houses who showed at the Design Suites, the ‘showroom’ venue for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studies.

Cicora, Cunningham and Abbasi are right. In the past two years, which in fashion terms is four seasons, Los Angeles Fashion Week has grown. With the collaboration of Smashbox Studios and 7th on Sixth to produce the event, the city’s grip on its fledging fashion scene has tightened.

So what does Los Angeles need to continue its growth spurt? Anchor Designers

New York has Kenneth Cole, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan and Calvin Klein as anchors. Kenneth Cole always opens the season while Ralph Lauren always show during the last day. Donna Karan and Calvin Klein together with Carolina Herrera, Oscar De La Renta, Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, Vera Wang and Marc Jacobs who hold their shows spread out throughout the week keep the journalists, buyers and photographers interested.

Because of these mainstays, then emerging talents like Zac Posen and Zang Toi were introduced to the fashion world. Today, they are already recognized. Every season in New York there is always a buzz on a new talent emerging.

Due to this buzz, we now have Esteban Cortazar, Tracy Reese, Twinkle and Monique Lhuillier as familiar names.

Los Angeles already has its stars this season – Bradley Bayou and St. John. If they can be persuaded to stay, then the city will have its anchors.

Together with its mainstay designers that are already recognized in the industry (Kevan Hall, Sue Wong, Shay Todd, Louis Verdad) the city’s viability as a fashion capital just went up several notches!