You don't have to travel aboard for a Fashion Week, because Peterborough Fashion Week (PTBO FW) returns again for its second season in November 2015, at a convenient time to glamorize your Christmas and New Year's wardrobe.

PTBO FW is a local charity event to raise fund for Five Counties Children Centre while facilitating a creative a venue for the local artists, and business to thrive, extending to Toronto, through building strong collaborations locally, nationally and globally.

Peterborough Fashion week is a celebration of Peterborough's fashion scene, talent and it's impact on the diversity, culture and economic development of our community,” says Christina Abbott of STRUTT Central Agency, one of the organizing committee member.

It is a soulful week, a charitable initiative where group of passionate volunteers are tirelessly working together purely out of the goodness of their heart,” says Abbott. Adding that, it is an important event because it sews the community together and reveal what the community looks like to the world.

PTBO FW 2015 will celebrate “Inclusivity”, bring forward people of all different shapes and sizes, different types of abilities, and ethnicity, and includes models of all ages.

Even though we are a lot smaller we have a proactive approach to fashion, and the way we think about fashion is progressive,” said Abbott, and are in it to make a difference and impact in children of the five counties as well as the global fashion world.

Clearly the event is incomparable in every sense to the large city fashion weeks, but being small gives Peterborough the edge on them to be unique and make a difference in the fashion industry.

Abbott said they are in exclusive control to steer the entire aspects of the event and decide it's fate. So, PTBO FW has taken a progressive approach by being “Inclusive, and Not Exclusive!”.

The industry is becoming more accepting-there are models with disabilities, or skin disorders, and models one wouldn't typically see in advertisements and marketing ten years ago are now being revered and celebrated, pointed out Abbott.

There is a shift happening in the world, it is getting recognized as it becomes reflected in fashion, so they want to be a part of the change, she said. Besides, we are dealing with the Five Counties Children Centre, a charity that helps children who are either disabled or, have a learning disability and their whole mandate is to be inclusive, and is basically mirroring the charity that they represent as well, shared Abbott.

They want to tell people that fashion is inclusive, not exclusive and to get as many diversity of people involved as possible. There are so much rules to the fashion world and as such it has been an exclusive entity for so long that people feel intimidated, she said. But this stylish charity event of the year will take off the expectations that one might dread from fashion weeks. PTBO FW is here to make fashion fun, bring the community together, connect people and make people feel like they can use fashion to express themselves.

Speaking to Arthur, Abbot explained why such an event celebrating fashion is important. According to her, Peterborough is a community of arts alive with amazing artists. And fashion week promises to bring together avenues for them to grow and thrive. Besides, fashion has been a part of cultures for years bringing people together, and Peterborough community has clearly show cased that, says Abbott.

Touching on the history of PTBO FW, Arthur found out that it all started with a little show called STRUTT for kids. It was a fashion show featuring local fashion retailers in downtown core as a fundraiser for children of Five County. As it got bigger and gained more exposure each year, they realized how creative the community was. Inspired by the successes they had had each year, the founding members realized that the community had the ability, resources, creativity, and talent to be able to pull off a fashion week, as told by Abbott.

It was also found out that no one was making money off it, so was understood that it is a group of passionate individuals who dedicate their hearts in to this initiative. “There is no paycheck being cut, except for Five Counties Children Centre, and it is in that we find a purpose,” says Abbott.

Christina Abbott quoted Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has," to highlight the Peterborough Fashion week.

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