Below are some Frequently Asked Questions regarding Austin Fashion Week. If you don’t see an answer to your question, please feel free to email us and we’ll do our best to answer whatever question you may have.

What is the background of Austin Fashion Week?

The first Austin Fashion Week was in July 2009. Austin Fashion Week is created by Launch787, a large-scale event production company based in Austin, Texas. Over 400 different participants were involved in the 2009 Austin Fashion Week and over 12,000 people attended various events during the week. Press coverage was abundant throughout Central Texas.

For more information about Austin Fashion Week and how it works, please click on the “About AFW” link above.

What categories of participants are there?

Retailers, Salons, Designers, Photographers, Hair Stylist, Makeup Artists, Models. For specific questions regarding eligibility to participate, please click on the appropriate link for yourself under the “Participate” heading above. If you are in the fashion industry and don’t fit into one of those categories, please email us and we’ll see how we may be able to work you into Austin Fashion Week.

If you are interested in sponsoring Austin Fashion Week, go here.

What are the Austin Fashion Week participant deadlines?

Deadlines have not been announced yet for Austin Fashion Week 2011.

Where does all the money go?

Austin Fashion Week is supported by the Austin-based fashion community first and foremost. Funds raised go to pay for all of the events that occur during Austin Fashion Week. Additionally,  our non-profit partners for this year are Austin Involved and Dress for Success. All proceeds during silent auctions and raffles will benefit the non-profits along with other opportunities that occur during Austin Fashion Week.

How are designers paired with participating retailers and salons?

All participating designers are asked to submit a sample to Austin Fashion Week along with a biography. A committee of fashion experts will review each designer’s work (both photography and a physical sample). The committee will determine which designers will be placed into a participating retail or salon location. The committee will also determine the actual pairings (taking into account currently existing relationships where necessary).

Designers who are not paired with a retailer or salon for a showcase will still be featured on the Austin Fashion Week website and their work will be promoted in that way.

How are Kickoff Event Mash Up teams created?

As a general rule, Kickoff Event teams will be drawn out of a hat. If there are any specific conflicts of interest, we will address those concerns on an individual basis. In the event multiple designers are needed to complete a look, we will ensure a logical pairing of, for instance, jewelry and clothing that actually work together. The Kickoff Event teams will be able to give us a list of 3-5 participating models that they would like to work with. We will honor as many of those requests as possible. A model casting call will occur with all of the teams on July 18, 2011.

How does voting work for the Austin Fashion Awards?

For 2011, there are 2 types of awards given:

1) People’s Choice Awards: Visitors to the Austin Fashion Week website and official iPhone app will be asked to vote for their favorites in each category. Each visitor may vote only once for a participant PER method (website & app), but they may vote for multiple participants in each category. On Friday, August 26 at 6:00 pm, the voting mechanism will be closed, the votes tallied, and the winners will be announced at the Austin Fashion Awards on Saturday, August 27. Visitors can only vote for participants in Austin Fashion Week due to the fact that voting occurs on each participant’s Austin Fashion Week profile page.

The system Austin Fashion Week has in place will not allow for multiple votes for the same participant per voter per method (app and website). However, in the rare occurrence the system does allow that to happen, Austin Fashion Week will delete duplicate votes. Please do not try and ballot-stuff as the secondary system will delete all of those votes.

2) Industry Choice Awards: A hybrid of the past Critic and Peer Choice Awards, the Industry Choice Awards are new for Austin Fashion Week 2011. Those working in the Austin fashion industry will be asked to vote for the most deserving candidates in the city.

How do I volunteer for Austin Fashion Week?

We are seeking volunteers for all aspects of Austin Fashion Week. If you’re interested in volunteering, email us here. If you have any specific experience in events or fashion, please let us know!