Austin Fashion Week
How Texas’ Largest Fashion Event Is Standing Firm for DEI in a Shifting Political Climate
Topics: Austin Fashion Week, Black Designer Showcase, DEI, Fashion, Business
Launched in 2009 at the peak of the Great Recession by Austin, TX entrepreneur Matt Swinney— Austin Fashion Week began as the first project of Launch 787- his events company. Nearly two decades later, the event has evolved into Texas’ largest fashion event—and the fourth-largest fashion event in the United States, standing proudly behind New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, with Atlanta trailing closely behind.
But what truly sets Austin Fashion Week apart is not just its success, but It’s its bold commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
With both state and federal legislative and executive pressures attempt to suppress DEI efforts, Austin Fashion Week isn’t bending, It’s upping the anti on diversity, equity & inclusion with a focus on women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ models and designers including a Black Designer Showcase highlighting the fashion contribution and economic impact of the African- diaspora to the fashion industry.
The Black Designer Showcase highlighting
On Friday, November 7 at 8 PM, the Black Designer Showcase, presented by the Austin Area Urban League—a partnership rooted in purpose, representation, and community advancement.
This showcase honored Black designers across Austin, Texas and beyond.
The Austin Area Urban League continues its long-standing mission of investing in #TheNewMajority by providing scholarships, grants, and creative opportunities that keeps diverse talent visible and thriving on major stages.
Link to schedule: (Austin Fashion Week – Black Designer Showcase)
Fashion With a Social Impact
Beyond the glamour and the runway, Austin Fashion Week is grounded in purpose.
Through its nonprofit arm, Fashion X Gives, the organization awards scholarships to creatives from marginalized backgrounds—including:
• BiPOC designers
• LGBTQIA+ creatives
• Women-owned fashion businesses
• Designers breaking generational cycles through art
And the support doesn’t end there. Partnerships with organizations like the Austin Area Urban League help ensure that these designers not only get a platform, but a path—one that leads to education, mentorship, and financial resources.
In an industry known for gatekeeping, Austin Fashion Week takes the opposite approach: It opens doors.
Austin as an Emerging Fashion Hub
If Austin wasn’t on the national fashion radar before, it is now. The city’s blend of culture, creativity, and inclusivity has turned it into a rising fashion center—one that challenges traditional power structures in the industry.
While other regions pull back on inclusion, Austin Fashion Week does the opposite: It leans in, embraces risk, and champions integrity over comfort.
Diverse companies are 35% more likely to outperform their competitors. According to a McKinsey & Company report, “organizations in the top quartile for racial/ethnic diversity were 35% more likely to outperform others.”
A Bold Stand in a Bold State
In a time when DEI is under fire in Texas, Austin Fashion Week’s refusal to compromise is elevating the standard in the Fashion Industry.