New York, NY, August 11, 2009 – When the new Brooklyn Knitting Factory debuts in Williamsburg—heart of Brooklyn’s music scene—cutting-edge independent designers will join the celebration along with a roster of performing artists on September 18th and 19th.

The Brooklyn Fashion Festival will showcase a collective of independent designers, such as Brooklyn locals Tar and Feather, and design team +AA-, former heads of Donna Karan lingerie and Vera Wang sleepwear, now launching their own line of daywear.

Who needs Bryant Park? Slated to follow the annual Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, the Brooklyn Fashion Festival offers an accessible, fun and hype-free alternative to Bryant Park. The initiative will involve the participation of many local businesses and artists. “Brooklyn Fashion Festival is fashion for the rest of us,” says Tom McAlister, one of the event’s organizers.

Brooklyn Fashion Festival will introduce a new wave of exciting designers who create with a fresh perspective on fashion using hand-sewn, hand-dyed garments, often from recycled and vintage materials.

The show will be choreographed, but runway-free. Designers will have freedom to display their garments in any format, using traditional and non-traditional models, ranging from fashion models to contemporary dancers. Past fashion shows in Brooklyn produced by the organizers of have featured live music, dancers, trapeze artists and stilt-walkers.

The designers and performers are thrilled by the new venue and the opportunity to show on Knitting Factory’s theater-style stage. “Knitting Factory is a perfect home for our show, and we are looking forward to a great event,” says Xing Xu, coordinator of Brooklyn Fashion Festival.

The specifics:
Brooklyn Fashion Festival at Brooklyn Knitting Factory
Friday, September 18th, doors open @ 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 19th, doors open @ 7p.m.
Website: www.brooklynfashionfestival.com

Location: The Brooklyn Knitting Factory, 361 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211, (short walk from the L train stop @ Bedford Avenue).

Tickets: available online at www.knittingfactory.com
$12.50 in advance, $17 at the door the day of the show.
Admission price includes access to the on-site event after-party with live music and performances.