3rd Annual Rockland Fashion Week Kicks Off This Weekend In Style

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Rockland Fashion Week might not have the hype of Milan or Paris, but the Hudson Valley fashion event of the season has a growing reputation — back again this year for the third time, it promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Produced by Hope Wade Designs of Nyack, Rockland Fashion Week 2022 "Your Bridge to Fashion" will culminate with a gala runway show on Saturday, from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Palisades Center mall, located at 1000 Palisades Center Drive in West Nyack.

The main runway event will showcase the work of 10 local designers, including Hope Wade's own couture line. Entertainment will be provided by saxophonist Herve Alexandre and MC Qui Talks. The runway will be set up in front of H&M on the first floor of the mall.

Participating fashion industry artists will include:

• Brown's Touch
• Fredlyne Burns - Le Painture
• CIK Eyewear
• Time To Clothes (Rockland-based)
• Sandra Szpicek Leylegian - The Things I Love (Rockland-based)
• Annemarie Jameson - Elite Repeat (Rockland-based)
• Lorraine Freeman - Customly Yours (Rockland-based)
• Taylored by God
• Riddim Driven
• Highly Humble
• Rusty Hanes - Maestro (Rockland-based)
• Hope Wade Designs (Rockland-based)

"We're proud to present the amazing creativity of local artists in this annual celebration," said Wade. "It showcases the wealth of talent we have right here in our local communities, and inspires all of us, including our young people, to explore opportunities in this fascinating industry."

As a warm-up to the runway event, Palisades Center will host a special designer accessories show on Friday, from 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Tickets for the show are available here. The VIP ticket option includes an exclusive cocktail hour before the show at Picanha Brazilian Steakhouse, priority front-row seating and a swag bag filled with valuable gifts. Guests are encouraged to dress to show their personal "fashionista" styles.

Rockland Fashion Week is known for having a strong community focus. This year, the program includes a collaboration with The Breast Center at Montefiore Nyack Hospital which will bring five cancer survivors to the runway as models. Khloe Berry, a 10-year old with Dravet Syndrome, will also grace the runway with her modeling skills, supported by R2M Realty.

The event includes a special donation to the Center for Safety and Change, a community-based non-profit organization offering life-saving, life-changing services to victims of domestic violence and other crimes.

"Fashion Week is about beautiful clothes, but also about the beauty and strength we bring to the challenges we face in our everyday lives," said Wade.

During this whole week, additional community-focused activities have included educational presentations in local middle and high schools, as well as pop-up shops in boutiques around Rockland County and at the Palisades Center.

"We'll be in the schools engaging students in the 'business of fashion,' as well as supporting our retail colleagues around the county," said Wade.

More information about Rockland Fashion Week can be found here.

Wade has been making a name for herself globally. She designed the gold sequined gown worn by Miss Jamaica at the 2018 Miss World Pageant in China and Rock 'n Roll Hall of Famer Darlene Love (a Rockland resident) wore Wade's red flute gown on the David Letterman Show.

She opened Hope Wade Designs of Nyack in September of 2020 while the pandemic was still raging. Since then, she has been creating couture dresses and gowns for women and children. She selects materials, designs, sketches and sews every garment she sells.

Wade was recently elected president of the Jamaican Civic & Cultural Association of Rockland.

Why Nyack, and why Rockland as the place to pursue her dreams? Wade's answer: "Nyack reminds me of Port Royal in Kingston, Jamaica where I grew up. Nyack is a town with special charm. The riverfront – and the people – are beautiful."

And she has more dreams.

"I want to build a factory so that designers, especially those of color, have a facility to manufacture their clothing," she said. "I would love to give a scholarship annually to an emerging designer – with no age limit. It would also be fun to create a fashion talk show and a shopping network.

"I want women, men, children to realize that for every dream to come to fruition it takes hard work but when one person plants a tree we all can eat of the fruit if we water it," she said. "I want that designer that is just about to give up on their dreams, be motivated to start again or push on for another day. That father who had plans and left them behind to take care of his family, realize that it’s not too late. Young children to know that life can be beautiful with some hard work."

With reporting from Patch's Lanning Taliaferro.