Designers, models say P.E.I.'s Fashion Weekend was a huge hit — and they're hungry to go again

Designers, models and retailers say P.E.I.'s Fashion Weekend was a resounding success, and all the talk in the community is when the next one is going to be. 

Julia Campbell is the organizer of P.E.I. Fashion Weekend, which ran March 25 and 26. She said the show Friday evening at the Trailside Music Hall was sold out weeks in advance. Throughout the weekend, Island artists and designers were celebrated, with pop-up shops in Charlottetown and retailers showing off local creations.

"Retailers were very encouraging about hosting designers who a lot of them have never met, giving up space in their brick-and-mortar store to give a designer a chance to be able to show and sell their collection," she said.

"We're very, very pleased."

The weekend was organized quickly, so Campbell was taken aback by the amount of sponsors, retailers, models, designers and fashion lovers that made it happen. Campbell credits Discover Charlottetown and its Ignition Fund for giving life to the event, saying the weekend was something the province's fashion community was hungry for.

"I moved home 10 years ago and I'm just seeing so much creativity, so much diversity," she said.

"There's so much talent happening here, and we just wanted to give a platform and a venue for people to be able to show their art and expose all the amazing designers, stylists, artists that are putting art to clothing in this fashion show."

Designer Jean-Grace Kifwabala owns Truly Motivated, which he started in 2021. He got a text asking if he wanted to be a part of P.E.I. Fashion Weekend and took no time to fire a text back.

"Definitely. Let's go! I need it right now!" he said. The timing was perfect for him, as he had just been working on a new line of clothing. 

"My friend says, 'God's timing is just amazing,' so the collection finished the day I got the text. So in my head this was meant to be," he said.

The process of coming up with an idea for a design, tweaking it, making it, having someone wear it and seeing people react to it is a feeling that can't be matched, he said. This was his first fashion show and won't be the last.

"Just being here right now and showcasing my products and meeting models and doing this right now is amazing," he said. "I'm very grateful."

Chrysler Hewlett, co-owner of Created Unbound, designs clothes and art with his brother, Chester. Chrysler said the opportunity to put their work on display is huge.

"We officially launched last May, so to have this opportunity in less than a year since starting is very crazy to me," he said.