Philly: The newest New York of fashion?

Is Philadelphia the next East Coast fashion capital?

That’s the hope of sponsors of the Philadelphia Collection, a 10-day series of events showcasing local designers and businesses.

“Last year’s inaugural Philadelphia Collection achieved astonishing results. Not only did it help drive business to the city’s retailers and designers, but it turned a spotlight on our style community and significantly strengthened Philadelphia’s presence on the map of having a healthy and robust retail and design industry,” said Melanie Johnson, Office of the City Representative. “The retail profile of Philadelphia has been raised.”

The event has grown exponentially, encompassing two extra days and adding expert-led fashion seminars on topics like ethical design, entrepreneurship and fashion blogging. “With a year under our belt, the Philadelphia Collection will be more widely attended and known than the first year,” said Michelle Shannon of the Center City District. “This year, with the informational panels, we’re really getting at the business aspect of fashion, as well.”

The Collection will run concurrently with Philadelphia Restaurant week.

“Our growing fashion scene and exploding culinary scene feed each other,” said Shannon. “They attract the same types of people, so it’s a good match.”

Cash is in fashion

Organizers hope the Collection will feed city coffers as well. “Since this is only our second year, we’re hoping to gather information from surveys and studies on exactly how much money the event brings,” Johnson said. “There was definitely a correlation [from the first year to] raising our profile as a fashionable city. Publicity from last year helped get us on Forbes.com.” The website rated Philadelphia among the top 10 best shopping cities.