TAMPA, Fla. — The 17th annual Tampa Bay Fashion Week is underway.
We all know that the best place to see the latest fashion trends is on the runway, but Tampa Bay Fashion Week took it one step further, showing off designs right next to an actual runway inside Tampa International Airport.
“You know we have about 25 million passengers that fly through Tampa International every year and think about all the eyes that are walking right here through the main terminal and all the shops and stores at our airside, its high exposure for them,” said C.J. Johnson with TPA.
One of the seven local designers fortunate enough to have their talents on display is Keyshonna Miller-McNeil.
Keyshonna has only been designing for the past two years. She says it’ so nice she can pursue a career right here in her hometown.
“Tampa Bay Fashion Week has actually put me on the map as a designer,” said Miller-McNeil. “A lot of times we would have to travel to Miami, New York, Atlanta, just to get those opportunities, and now within the last couple of years, we see all these different boutiques, independent designers popping up in Tampa Bay.”
Then there’s Sana Hassan, growing up in Bangladesh she dreamed of one day being a designer, and now those dreams are coming true right here in her new home of Tampa.
“For me it’s big, it’s really big, because I’m from Bangladesh, a country where not much opportunity is given to the women, and here I am, here for every woman in Bangladesh, all of Asia,” said Hassan.
Both of these women will have their designs on display during Friday’s big Runway Show at The Motor Enclave in Tampa.
“I can’t even explain to you how excited I am, this is a great opportunity for me,” said Hassan.
“Just people calling me to purchase the designs that they’ve seen off the runway, ‘is this ready, is that ready,’ and I was just like, ‘wow,’ it just kind of took off,” said Miller-McNeil.
The Runway Show is more than just an opportunity for designers to be seen, but for women in need to be heard. They are having a beauty drive on behalf of The My Fairy Godfather Foundation.
“Our mission is empowering women through beauty,” said founder Steven Anderson.
From survivors of domestic abuse, to survivors of cancer, the non-profit delivers beauty bags full of essentials to women across Tampa Bay.
“We try to get women to feel really good about themselves, they are not defined by their circumstances,” said Anderson.
For more information on Tampa Bay Fashion Week go to www.tampabayfashionweek.org.
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