The fourth annual Kerry Fashion Weekend (KFW), in association with IMAGE magazine, will take place in venues in Tralee and Killarney from Thursday 12th to Saturday 14th of April 2012. Highlights include the prestigious KFW Fashion Designer Awards Show on Thursday 12th of April, a seminar entitled “The Business of Fashion” on Friday 13th of April and the inaugural KFW Vintage Salon Show at the Plaza on Saturday 14th of April. KFW is hosted by Tralee based agency, Upfront PR, Event & Model Management and the shows feature top Kerry models as well as top local hair, make up, production, photography and fashion styling talents. Tickets to all events can be booked on line at www.kerryfashionweekend.com or by calling 086 8399115.
The is the 4th year of the prestigious KFW Fashion Designer Awards Show. As well as Kerry only award categories, for the past two years the Awards have also feature national categories and entries this year are from designers all over the Island of Ireland – North and South. The deadline for entries is Friday 30th of March and the finalists will be announced on Monday 2nd of April on line at www.kerryfashionweekend.com. The KFW Awards Show will be held in the Pavilion in Ballygarry House Hotel, Tralee. This is the first time the Awards Show has been held in Tralee and it is also the first evening show (the previous three years were luncheons). The night will commence with a champagne reception and the awards show will open with the SS 2012 collections of last year’s winner, Michael Leong and rising Irish designer stars, Umit Kutluk and Natalie B Coleman. Excitingly, previous KFW Fashion Designer Award Winners – House of Delphine, Caroline Atelier, Karyn Moriarty, Carol Kennelly and Kathleen McAuliffe will also launch their new collections on the night. The Awards will also feature the best of Irish labels, including Fee G, Daisy May and Fran and Jane from top local boutiques Jasmine, Hannons, Carraig Donn and Mac Bees of Killarney. Of course, the highlight will be the preview of collections from the Award nominees and the announcement of the winners in the KFW 2012 Awards, including KFW Kerry Designer of the Year, KFW Irish Designer of the Year, KFW One to Watch, KFW Irish Accessory Designer of the Year and KFW Special Merit Award.
On Friday 13th of April, KFW are hosting a ‘Business of Fashion’ Seminar, featuring top industry speakers on web marketing, PR and branding communication in the Carlton Hotel, Tralee. This seminar aims to give an overview of both on line and off line marketing / sales strategies with a specific focus on the requirements of the fashion industry.
One of the keynote speakers is Shane Diffily, author of the “Website Managers Handbook”, owner of ‘likeplace.com’ and top Social networking consultant. Shane will give tips on how to optimize your website for selling on line, good social networking practices to attract and sustain customers and how to achieve high ranking in search engines. Complementing Shane’s presentation, is a discussion on the power of branding by Paul Ruane, owner of award winning agency, Midpoint Creative. Paul will explore how all businesses, of every size, can develop their own brand to communicate better and more successfully with current and potential customers. Paul Ruane is also giving the KFW One to Watch award winner a prize of a ‘brand mark’ for their business worth €2,500. The Seminar will also discuss how to secure traditional PR / Media coverage both locally and nationally by those working in the fashion press and a PR consultant; and a panel discussion entitled ‘How I Made it’ with tips from designers on succeeding in today’s competitive market.
Fashion is all about trends and ‘old’ is currently very ‘new’. Vintage is now very in vogue, partly due to recession and also perhaps as a backlash to disposable high street fashions. The inaugural KFW Vintage Salon Show in the Plaza Hotel in Killarney, will feature the very best of authentic vintage fashion from local and national vintage boutiques. Styled by vintage enthusiast and blogger, Erika Fox, the night also includes vintage inspired cocktails, cuisine and ‘how to’ demonstrations plus a prize for the most creative vintage outfit. Doors open at 7.30pm and tickets are €40, including cocktails, cuisine, complementary gifts and a few surprises.
KFW wishes to acknowledge the support and talents of our team, including official make up artist and head of the make up artistry team, Kathryn O Neill and Laura Lynch (make up artist on Vintage Salon); hair creatives Tricia O Sullivan and Stephen Cronin, Fashion Stylist Erika Fox; Event Production Director, Lisa Dennehy, head of the Graphic Design and Branding Team, Paul Ruane, Midpoint Creative, Ray Stack, head of Production, all our fabulous models and the management and staff at all our venues, Ballygarry House Hotel, The Carlton Hotel Tralee and the Plaza hotel, Killarney.
The organisers of KFW also wish to extend their sincere appreciation and thanks to the local and national media for their continued and on going support of the event. Without this valued exposure for both the event and the designers and talents participating, KFW would not be possible.
Tickets to all events can be booked on line at www.kerryfashionweekend.com or by calling 086 8399115.
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For more information, please contact
Orla Diffily
Upfront PR, Event & Model Management
086 8399115 E. upfrontgroup@gmail.com
Media are welcome at all events. Please show press pass or contact us in advance. Thank You.
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