When FashionWeekLive, IMG’s traveling runway show, lands in San Francisco tonight at the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion, over 100 lucky fashion students will number among the gorgeous guests. That’s because IMG has joined forces with San Francisco author and philanthropist Stacy Cohen to provide over 100 tickets for local fashion students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend the blow-out event.
Cohen, a benefactor of the event, hand-picked the local schools that would receive the tickets with the help of other FashionWeekLive notables Naomi Campbell and Francisco Costa. Naomi’s pick was City College of San Francisco, while Francisco, fresh from his mentoring moment at Otis College of Fashion and Design, chose the L.A.-based school as a recipient. Other schools included the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and the Academy of Art University, both of San Francisco. All of Cohen’s donations will be matched ticket for ticket by the company.
The evening will kick off with a champagne reception and pre-event cocktails, after which the students and other elite guests will be treated to an hour-long runway re-enactment featuring designers including Badgley Mischka, Chaiken, Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, and Zac Posen, and modeled by the likes of Naomi Campbell, Gemma Ward, Caroline Winberg, Erin Wasson, and Alek Wek. San Francisco designers Lily Samii and Colleen Quen have also been chosen to present select looks during the show.
“I am so proud to sponsor talented young designers that have never seen a live fashion show,” said Stacy Cohen, who added “giving these students a gift of a lifetime of inspiration means everything for the future of fashion.”
