With more than two dozen runway shows and a host of sponsor activations taking place across five days, LG Fashion Week required an immense amount of pre-show planning. Held in the 200,000-square-foot Heritage Court at Exhibition Place March 28 to April 1, the show included two separate runways, an on-site store, and several sponsor areas.
"It's a huge build," said Robin Kay, executive director of LG Fashion Week. "It's a lot of space and detail to manage, starting with just massively high ceilings and polished concrete floors. What I wanted to do was create a sort of vanilla envelope that the whole Fashion Week personality would spring out of."
That personality started outside the building, where a 120-foot-long, 40-foot-wide red carpet built by Khorani led up to the entrance. Inside, a 30-foot-wide, 16-foot high TV wall broadcasting one large image set the mood.
"The idea is that you come on site and right away you feel the energy of the event," said Kay.
Behind that wall was the M Shop, where designer garments were displayed on a 25-foot-long hang bar. Each tag had a bar code which guests could scan into their smart phones, taking them to an e-commerce site where they could purchase the item.
Sponsor set-ups were contained within a "First Class Sponsor Space," a circular area set off by a 50-foot-high wall of chiffon.
"It changed the light and created a very exclusive feel," said Kay. "The fabric makes it a very pleasant, very serene space."
Across from the sponsor area, designers and others mingled in the Business Class Cafe, an all-white area where a long white table was topped by cloth-accented chandeliers.
The fashion shows themselves took place on two separate runways: one studio runway with low benches, a black palette, and seating for 400; and the main runway space, surrounded by bleacher seating for 1,000 and a 2,200-square-foot, white wooden floor built by Kentwood Flooring. Both runway areas were designed so that they could be easily adapted to match the mood and feel of each designer's show.
