Main Line Fashion Show To Benefit School For Neurodivergent Students

BRYN MAWR, PA — Saturday will mark the second Main Line Fashion Week, and it's bringing a fashion show to Bryn Mawr. The runway fashion fundraiser promoting neurodiversity and inclusion will benefit the students at Hill Top Preparatory School in Bryn Mawr.

The event is being held from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Hill Top Preparatory School, 737 S. Ithan Ave. in Bryn Mawr. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Tickets start at $48.75 and are available online here. A portion of the event's proceeds will support Hill Top's mission to serve neurodivergent students.

Main Line Fashion week is the brain child of Hill Top alumni Kyle Woodland.

Woodland, 28, attended the school for students with learning disabilities from seventh to 11th grade after struggling in traditional school upon being diagnosed with autism at 4 years old. For a time, he was non-verbal, but by fifth grade was reading at a 12th grade level.

And April is Autism Awareness Month.

"They made a positive impact on me," Woodland said of Hill Top. "Before I went there, I was very depressed, and I wasn't fitting in."

Being on the spectrum, Woodland always feltlike he had to fit in with others and was often judged for his autism before people got to know him better.

"I said, 'you know what, instead of trying to fit in, I should stand out,'" he said.

After attending Hill Top, Woodland transitioned back into public school at Strath Haven High School.

He credits Hill Top's focus on students who learn differently with his successful transition back into public school.

"They're a school that has a passion geared toward kids with learning disabilities," he said. "If you don't have a genuine passion for that stuff, you won't be able to work there."

"When our alumni succeed, we succeed," Kevin M.R. Mayne, Hill Top’s Head of School, said. "When he asked us again if he could hold his Spring Fashion Show at Hill Top Preparatory School, we did not hesitate to help an alumnus."

Woodland's younger years were focused on playing sports, namely soccer. But when soccer ran its course, one of his cousins who worked at a professional model of his introduced him to the entertainment industry.

Now, Woodland owns KWS Productions, which is "dedicated to presenting top-notch fashion events that feature exceptional designers, models, and talented individuals."

Woodland and KWS are producing the Fashion Week event.

He said his goal is to use the entertainment industry to help bring awareness to the neurodivergent community.

"There's more than needs to be done as far as understanding and consideration for autism," he said.

His goal for Main Line Fashion Week — as well as Delaware County Fashion week, which Woodland said is planned for November — is to help bring awareness to people who are neurodivergent.

Saturday's event will feature prom wear and evening wear, sold by Hill Top students in the program.

KWS is partnering with Philadelphia-based fashion designer Caroline Leary, Ovich boutique, Lord Proverbs, Officially Dahsar by Rashad Calhoun, and Hill Top Designers for the event.

"As the leader on the Main Line in the education of neurodiverse learners, Hill Top loves opportunities to showcase how our alumni and students shine," Mayne said.

"Hill Top Prep School has had a profound impact on my life," Woodland said. “I received an exceptional education there, and I am honored to give back yet gain and inspire others who, like myself, may have doubted their place in a top competitive industry. Together, we can show the community that anything is possible."