Tampa, FL – Tampa will be hosting the Christian Fashion Show in 2013. The organizers of this fashion event say that “modest does not equal frumpy.”
This Friday the Christian Fashion Show begins Friday with a VIP reception and then a runway show on Saturday. The nine designers selected for the runway event, not all of whom are Christian , will showcase original women’s couture, women’s ready-to-wear fashion, men’s clothing, swimwear, and bridal gowns.
The organizers of the event are Jose Gomez, his wife, and another couple. According to ABC News , Gomez says that fashion designs are looking at the Christian Fashion Show as a sort of challenge:
“A lot of the designers we talked with looked at the challenge as a creative challenge. How do we push the boundaries – with boundaries? We want to do something to make New York jealous.”
The Christian Fashion Show will differentiate itself from other fashion events in other ways besides the clothing. Bibles and other Christian-themed items will be placed into the gift bags. Male and female models will be provided separate dressing areas to “preserve their dignity.” The audience will be limited to females only when women models show off the swim wear designs.
The youngest designer of the Christian Fashion Show, Julia Chew, says she was drawn to the show in part because of her faith but also because she desires to create modest clothing that represent her values:
“I’m a teenager, and I want to be accepted. As a Christian, I want to dress and design clothes in a way that honors my body.”
Crew sells her creations on Etsy, a website where designers, crafters, and creators can sell their homemade items. Jose Gomez is already receiving phone calls requesting that next year’s Christian Fashion Show be hosted in a bigger location like Miami or New York. He tells The Miami Herald that continuing this fashion event is necessary:
“Modesty is the right thing to do. The fashion industry operates under certain assumptions, but there is an alternative.”
The Christian Fashion Week website also takes a stand against the industry peer pressure to conform by doing nude modeling:
“The bottom line is that there are many models, actors, and entertainment professionals that lead successful careers without ever getting naked. If more of the talent would dare to make a stand, the industry would be forced to stop asking. Besides, what sense does it make to use naked bodies to sell clothing!”
What do you think about the Christian Fashion Show in Tampa? Do you think that modesty can also be high fashion?
