Debut Los Angeles Fashion Awards to Open Spring '06 Fashion Market Week

Celebrating the energy, creativity and vision that makes Los Angeles one of the world's centers of fashion, a community of LA industry professionals have come together for the launch of the Los Angeles Fashion Awards, debuting on October 21st at the Orpheum Theater. The event is timed at the end of LA Fashion Week for press previews & runway shows, and at the beginning of LA Market Week for business in the fashion wholesale showrooms and trade shows in downtown LA.

The awards will salute emerging talent, rising stars and leading brands of the Los Angeles fashion industry. Moss Adams LLP, one of the most prominent fashion industry accounting firms on the West Coast and the creator of the Moss Adams Fashion Innovator Award (MAFI) in 2003, is the founding sponsor of the LA Fashion Awards.

Recognizing Los Angeles as a global fashion center, one that welcomes cultural diversity, nurtures creativity and relishes raw, edgy artistic expression, while embracing the glamour of Hollywood, the premiere event will reflect the style of Los Angeles in a program that includes a cocktail reception in the Orpheum Grand Lobby and an awards event inside the Theatre Auditorium. A VIP after-party hosted by Angeleno Magazine will follow the show. The Awards include:

-- MAFI (Moss Adams Fashion Innovator) Award
    Presented to the most innovative/creative designer/brand
-- California Apparel IPO of the Year Award presented by NASDAQ
    Presented to the top performing apparel/retailer IPO of the year
-- Fashion Achievement Award
    Presented to an accomplished LA designer/brand
-- Marketing Excellence Award
    Presented to a brand exhibiting exceptional marketing savvy
-- Fashion Retailer Award
    Presented to an innovative or accomplished LA retailer
-- Fashion Communication Award
    Presented to a TV, film, or print stylist, editor or company of
    influence
-- Inspiration Award
    Presented to an individual or group who lent particular vision,
    inspiration or support to the industry

The NASDAQ Stock Market joins Moss Adams with an LA Fashion Award dedicated in their name. The California Apparel IPO of Year Award will be presented by NASDAQ to the apparel retailer or brand sustaining the best stock price performance following their initial public offering; perhaps the first award of its kind.

FedEx and Wells Fargo Century lead the slate of additional corporate sponsors, which includes Design Tonic, ApparelMagic, Market Wire, Much and House PR, Traction Press, Kinetic Sculpture, Cloutier Agency, Cooper Design Space, Security Textile Corporation/Security Sourcing/Swift Europe, LA Fashion District, The City of Los Angeles, LA Department of Water & Power, 24Seven, CIT Commercial Services and Paul Mitchell. Several fashion and business not-for-profit membership organizations, including the California Fashion Association (CFA), Fashion Business Incorporated (FBI), Fashion Group International of Los Angeles (FGI), LA Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) and the World Trade Center Association endorse the event. Angeleno Magazine, California Apparel News, and LA.com are among the media sponsors. Cocktail reception sponsors include Smartwater, Vox Vodka, Plymouth Gin, El Tesoro, Jim Beam and Starbucks Coffee Liqueur.

An invitation-only nominating committee consisting of editors, stylists, retailers and market makers who are known for having a pulse on the LA fashion industry will select nominees and award recipients. Nominees in select award categories will be announced in September. The full slate will be announced in early October.

The event creators and producers are LA Fashion Awards, LLC partners Jennifer Üner & Mary Hill. The partners met while working together at the California Market Center where Ms. Üner was the Executive Director of Marketing Communications and Ms. Hill was Executive Director of Events & the Fashion Office.

For more information, please visit www.LAFashionAwards.com

Distributed by Market Wire