Erica Becker is the Executive Producer of Boise Fashion Week, a collaborative fashion event that focuses on fostering education and showcasing opportunities to promote the fashion community in Boise and its surrounding areas. The thoughtful organization helps fund workshops, coaching, and event spaces for anyone and everyone interested in fashion.
Becker spearheaded this fashion resurgence as there wasn’t a platform that supported fashion and the many creatives that make it such an exciting and successful industry. She is now filling that need for everyone involved in the fashion industry, from makeup artists and photographers to designers and models.
She refers to Boise Fashion Week as “the resurrection of Fashion Week with a completely different spin with different networks of people in the industry.” The Board of Directors makes up 15 individuals from various industries who have graciously and passionately come together to support fashion in a way that benefits the community.
Growing up with a mother who was a seamstress, Becker was surrounded by the behind-the-scenes world of fashion from a young age. After attending university as a designer and working in the industry, Becker moved to Boise at a time when “it was not a place for fashion.” This was seven years ago, when the city looked and felt very different than it does today.
It became apparent this was an underserved market, which is where the passion for Boise Fashion Week ultimately came from. For the past year, Becker has been working with Boise school districts, universities, the state of Idaho and nonprofits to lobby for sewing classes to be brought back into education, also starting networking groups where students can learn from one another.
“Instead of hosting just one event,” Becker states of Boise Fashion Week, “It’s about talking about the different aspects of the industry and really being a part of the fashion community. People didn’t have those resources even just a few years ago, so we have created a platform where people can network, connect, and truly grow the industry,” she explained.
As for the main event, which is happening sometime in October, Becker hopes to bring something totally different to the table than the typical avant-garde and special occasion Fashion Weeks you see from LA, New York, and Miami. “There’s nothing that really focuses on Outdoor Fashion,” she says. “This is a growing opportunity and natural progression to showcase the Outdoor Fashion designers whose collections embody “outdoor performance” and “upscale outdoor” fashion who focus on the active lifestyle that Boise emulates.
She promises the event will still showcase those high-fashion, special occasion pieces (among other looks) to round out the runway. “I love giving the opportunity to designers to hone their skills and build a following through this showcase,” she concluded. For up-to-date information, head to BoiseFashionWeek.com and follow them on Instagram @boisefashionweek.
“I love giving the opportunity to designers to hone their skills and build a following through this showcase." -Erica Becker