Pittsburgh Fashion Week Tacks on Menswear to Show Lineup

“Home is where the heart is,” said Pittsburgh Fashion Week executive director and founder Miyoshi Anderson. “It’s safe here. It’s loving. You just come back.”

Anderson, a former Point Park dance student, returned to Pittsburgh, after living in New York City and the Caribbean, with strong industry expertise.

As an actress, spokesmodel and fashion model, Anderson is a style and couture frontrunner for Pittsburgh on the U.S. map of fashion.

This year’s fashion week hits the runways Sept. 26-Oct. 2, and opens in a new location: Market Square.

New components are key ingredients for this year’s week, according to Anderson. Tuesday evening, Sept. 27, is all about menswear.

“The newest thing on board for us is the men’s style fashion show, focusing on menswear,” she said. “Starting at 6 p.m., ticket holders can arrive early to the Heinz History Center and have a free tour of the sports museum.”

Wednesday of the week, PFW partnered with the American Heart Association to present a “Radiant and Red” runway, which additionally celebrates The Mall at Robinson’s 10th birthday.

“I’m really looking forward to the whole week,” said Anderson. “We are working with both new and returning designers, shops and retailers.

“This year, we’re having back-to-back shows,” she said. “We’ve rearranged the logistics for comfortability. Volunteers have been training all summer long on how to make this time-sensitive event work.

“The fashion hall of fame, the first of its kind in Pittsburgh, will be the last component, which is the icing on the cake,” she said. “We’re featuring a young jeweler, Anthony Mock, who is phenomenal. He will be presenting diamonds. It’s fitting that the inductees deserve to have these awards.”

Anderson said she is now focusing on fine details and when suggested what a huge undertaking this must be, she responded: “I’m so glad to bring this to Pittsburgh.”

She understands fashion is not a beloved subject for most Pittsburghers. But, she maintains her goals for our football town.

“Our mission is to bridge the gap between what has been lost with the public and fashion,” she said. “I want people to feel free and comfortable. If you want to dress up to go to the grocery store, you do. If you want to wear a cocktail dress to the symphony, you do. Most importantly, we want to keep our industry insiders here.

“Pittsburgh right now is in a growth stage,” she explained. “If you think about a seed and a spark of green out of that soil, we’re the young tender plant. There are over 150 Fortune 500 companies here now. That’s wonderful. I see construction; I see completion. We’re transitioning.”

The big goal, Anderson said, is for Pittsburgh Fashion Week to have the recognition like Portland Fashion Week and Charlotte Fashion Week do. Mind you, these are not New York, Miami, Dallas or Chicago, she said—they are cities with a similar size and demographic to Pittsburgh.

“It’s quite rewarding,” she said. “I see the changes. I travel; I’m a jetsetter. I always see something new. I didn’t think creatively and innovatively about Pittsburgh until I left and came back to see a blank canvas.”

Anderson said she hopes for the city of Pittsburgh to continue to stand behind her with fashion week. She said she envisions fashion as an extension of the arts, and thinks we, as a city, can build this project for years to come.

“If we can keep designers and industry insiders here, we can bring shops, real estate and revenue,” she said confidently.  

For a complete PFW schedule of events and to purchase tickets, click here.