Christian Fashion Week is an annual fashion show that celebrates fashion from a Christian worldview. It is the first fashion week to claim faith as a basis. The organization and event was founded by entrepreneurs Jose Gomez, Mayra Gomez, Wil Lugo, and Tamy Lugo, all from Tampa, Florida. The first annual event, Christian Fashion Week 2013, was held on February 8, 2013, and featured 8 designers from around the US. The event attracted over 300 attendees and over 2,000 online viewers. The event attracted an international audience after a syndicated story by the Associated Press was published on February 7, 2013. The article cast a spotlight on designers debuting at the show such as Julia Chew and Alma Vidovic. Executive Director, Jose Gomez, stated: "Modesty is the right thing to do," he said. "The fashion industry operates under certain assumptions, but there is an alternative." Author and Speaker, Shari Braendel, was a featured quest and speaker.
Expansion
In 2014, the organization expanded the event from two days to an entire week. The event started with the first InternationalDay of Prayer for Art and Fashion. The week continued with various workshops and shopping days, culminating in two days of fashion shows in Tampa, Florida. The event was covered by over 40 media outlets, including:
BuzzFeed.Com - 61 Things I Saw At Christian Fashion Week
PerezHilton.Com - If You Didn't Know Christian Fashion Week Was A Thing, You Do Now!
ChristianPost.Com - Christian Fashion Week 2014 Kicks Off in Tampa; A Celebration of Modesty and Christ
The event attracted over 10,000 online viewers and, according to the organization's Facebook page, has led to a Retail Edition of the show in Atlanta during the 2014 International Christian Retail Show, held by the Christian Booksellers Association in partnership with Christians In Fashion. In 2015, the fashion event was covered by the New York Times. At the time, Christian Fashion Week issued a statement saying that 2015 would be its last season.