Dallas Market Center Celebrates the 10th Anniversary of FashionCenterDallas

Shirin Askari of Askari

Founded in 1957, Dallas Market Center (DMC) is the world’s most complete wholesale marketplace. Within its marketplace of more than five million square feet, retailers from around the globe source products ranging from home furnishings, gifts, decorative accessories and lighting to textiles, fashion accessories and men's, western, women's and children's apparel.
Every year more than 75,000 buyers visit DMC and place orders with their exhibitors. They represent small specialty stores and major retailers. DMC supports them by showcasing the most complete and highest quality exhibitors from start-ups to legendary names.
I recently teamed up with DMC to celebrate the 10th anniversary of FashionCenterDallas, which is Dallas Market Center’s complete apparel marketplace of more than 575 showrooms and yearly 1,000 temporary booths, merchandised in easy-to-shop neighborhoods.
I helped curate the list of local fashion bloggers and social influencers which included Cathy Williamson for The Middle Page, Heather Anderson for Style by Fluent, Leah Frazier for DFW Style Daily, Samantha Stewart for Style of Sam, and Hilary Kennedy among others.
At the showroom of Brad Hughes we got a preview of what Catharine Maladrino, Finley, and Layfayette 148 are offering for Fall. Next up, the D2 Drysdale Showroom where we viewed the latest trends in denim from Free People and Miss Me. At Indigo, we ran into one of my favorite local designers, Shirin Askari showing her new collection for Askari.
My favorite stop was The Ritz Group mainly because owner Brad Ritz was so charming and passionate about the lines he showed us. His showroom was amazing and we saw a wide variety of beautiful ones including Alice & Trixie, Trace Reese, and Alexander McQueen. Our afternoon ended with a champagne toast and a runway show showcasing the hottest in Fall trends from DMC. Sitting next to Women's Wear Daily writer, Holly Haber, confirmed this was an afternoon well spent in my continuing fashion education.

Cathy Williamson and OSC's Cynthia Smoot

I was excited to host this blogger event with DMC because while fashion bloggers are very connected to designers and to the retail stores, it's important to remember that DMC plays an integral part in the process of connecting the two entities. DMC draws hundreds of exhibitors, manufacturers and buyers representing retail stores from across the country and around the world – contributing to its yearly $406 million economic impact on the city of Dallas.
For more information, visit http://www.dallasmarketcenter.com/