Producer Tito Chowdhury ain’t messing around this year with FashioNXT. In his constant attempts to create grander and grander shows, it appears he’s somehow done it again. Let’s break down all the ways FashioNXT will cure us of end-of-year runway fatigue. 

New Venues: Gone are the shipyards (and trekking out to industrial Swan Island night after night), swapped for a new double-tented affair. With one Pearl District tent dedicated to the Fashion Plaza–cocktail bars, designer exhibitions, and vendors–the other is exclusively runway. The new system makes the whole event centrally located.

Project Runway Madness: Say what you want about FashioNXT’s reliance upon Runway designers, it brings people to the shows. This year's lineup includes local alums Seth Aaron (first to win both Runway and All Stars), Michelle Lesniak (Runway winner and premiering on All Stars this month), plus Goga by Gordana, Irina Shabayeva, and of course, Michael Costello of Beyoncé designing fame. Perhaps it’s the torture Heidi Klum and crew put them all through, but these designers know how to put on a show.

International Designers: This year the global outreach continues with opening night, “China Moment”, dedicated to three successful ready-to-wear designers from the fashion hub of Shenzhen, China. The effort to create a sort of exchange program is advantageous on multiple fronts as the audience gets to see new and impressive lines, while the team from China includes delegates and diplomats all open to the idea of creating a bi-continental networking hub.

Audience Participation: Perhaps it’s a continuation of the reality television theme, perhaps it’s just because everyone wants to express their opinion about fashion. But the fact is, you get to vote. Throw your weight around by helping to decide who will be this year’s Emerging Designer (winner of a number of fancy prizes) in addition to the new Wearable Tech contest. The latter encourages the integration of fashion and technology with a panel of judges (including high execs from Samsung and Intel) whittled down the entries to three proposals the audience will vote on for what gadgets they want in their everyday arsenal in the future.

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//The Schedule//