Salem’s first Fashion Week wrapped Sunday, April 12, with a runway finale at the Salem Convention Center after a week of promotions, shopping events and beauty specials across local boutiques, wellness businesses and related brands.
The event was built as more than a single runway night. From April 5 through April 12, participating businesses used sales, themed events and service promotions to draw customers into stores ahead of the finale. That gave the week a broader local-business focus and turned Fashion Week into a coordinated push for retail, beauty and fashion businesses across Salem.
By the time Sunday’s show began, the event had already spent several days moving shoppers between participating businesses and building attention around the finale. That approach helped distinguish Salem Fashion Week from a one-night fashion event. It functioned more like a citywide retail showcase, with the runway serving as the closing piece rather than the entire attraction.
The finale itself was designed as a full event, not just a catwalk. Public schedules and promotional materials described a program that included vendor shopping, photo opportunities, light bites, a cash bar and two runway segments, one featuring emerging designers and one highlighting premiere designers. Organizing materials tied the event to Hilltop Property Group and Jordan Hill, while promotions presented the evening as polished but accessible, centered on Salem-area boutiques and designers rather than outside labels.
That local focus gave the event its clearest identity. Earlier public materials tied the week and runway to businesses including Ivory Bull & Co., A Wonderful World PNW, Olivia’s, Top Drawer Boutique, Winslow Boutique, Vouture, Awkward Peach Boutique and Hattawear. Instead of treating fashion as something imported from a larger market, the event put familiar local business names at the center of the experience.
Christine Lewy, founder of Divine Complexions, said the event felt bigger than a standard fashion show because it reflected the energy and support of the local business community. “What an incredible community event to be part of,” Lewy said. “It was such an honor for our team to do the makeup and hair for the models and hosts. Beyond being so much fun, it was truly inspiring to witness the artistry, creativity, and support within our local community.” Divine Complexions identifies Lewy as its founder and lead esthetician.
Sheena Nash, founder of Clink!, offered a similar view, calling the debut “thoughtfully executed” and saying it brought “a fresh, creative energy to our downtown.” Nash said it was especially encouraging to see local boutiques and designers come together to showcase their work and support one another, adding that events like Salem Fashion Week help highlight the talent already present in the city’s creative community. Clink!’s official site identifies Nash as the founder of the restaurant.
The week closed with the kind of finale organizers had been building toward from the start: a runway-centered event that brought Salem’s boutiques, designers and shoppers into one shared space at the Salem Convention Center. After several days of in-store promotions, themed events and beauty and wellness specials across the area, Sunday’s show gave the week a clear finish and brought the spotlight back to the businesses that had spent the previous several days turning Fashion Week into a citywide retail push.
For a first-year event, Salem Fashion Week finished with a polished, lively public finale that brought local boutiques, designers and shoppers together in one place and gave the week a strong finish at the Salem Convention Center.
Cato Media Company was responsible for bringing the media team together for the event and brought on several other businesses to help make it happen, including Jerusalen Jimenez-Ramon of J.FUSION Media LLC, Dee Ann Deaton of OnBrand Photography LLC, Charles Anthony of Charles Anthony Photography, LLC.