Making your fashion dream come true

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Sivana Brown was one of 18 people who came to the open casting call.

The dream of walking down the runway in a one-of-a-kind dress and high heels, or a unique suit jacket and pants, may come true for many Islanders this September.

Martha’s Vineyard Fashion Week, scheduled for the week of Sept. 19-24, held an open casting call at Sand Bar & Grille in Oak Bluffs Wednesday.

Emphasizing the “open” part of this model search, the fashion week organizers said they wanted to give everyone with an enduring love of fashion a chance to be part of this first-of-its-kind event.

Organizers Trena Morrison, Richard Skidmore, and Basia Jaworska Silva have all been involved in the fashion industry for several years. After seeing the success of New York and Boston Fashion Week events over and over again, they decided to bring the glitz and glamour to Martha’s Vineyard.

“Martha’s Vineyard is full of celebrities, but it’s still very Island-y, so I thought, why not start a fashion week here?” Ms. Morrison said. “Make it seem a little bit more real and give the same level of excitement.”

Basia Jaworska Silva said, because a lot of small boutiques suffered during the winter season last year, she hopes a week dedicated to fashion in September will help the Island economy as well.

“There’s a lot of designers hidden and tucked away that don’t have storefronts, so we want to give them a platform and show what they do,” Ms. Jaworska Silva said. “Hopefully this generates more awareness of what we have on the Island in terms of clothing and boutique.”

In August, MV Fashion Week will join Avalon Magazine to host a preview event. Then in September, the actual fashion week will include three main runway shows, with all the money raised going to Angel Flight Northeast.

Watch the video for a full interview clip with the organizers.