Fashion enthusiasts, bargain hunters or those simply looking for something to do Friday night can all join in the global fashion event coming to Grand Rapids this weekend, Fashion’s Night Out.

Through collaboration of American Vogue, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, NYC & Company and the City of New York, Fashion’s Night Out is a global initiative to “celebrate fashion, restore consumer confidence, boost the industry’s economy and put the fun back in shopping,” according to the event’s Facebook page. This year Grand Rapids, led by A.K. Rikks, will join NYC and hundreds of other cities across the world in hosting this fashion event.

About 49 Grand Rapids retailers will host their own segments of the event, all with the goal of making a fun environment for shopping, said Jim Murray, owner of A.K. Rikks. A complete list of participants can be found on the Fashion’s Night Out website, www.fashionsnightoutgr.com/.

Murray, a 2001 alumnus of Grand Valley State University, was the original organizer of the event back in April. He said he wanted to throw a party in conjuncture with NYC’s Fashion Night Out and contacted Vogue about getting their official support for Grand Rapids.

Fashion Night Out was started in 2009 by Anna Wintour, editor in chief of American Vogue. Wintour saw a crisis in the retail world as people spent less and less money on fashion. She started the event as a way to promote spending again.

“There was a time when people didn’t want to shop,” Murray said. He said he hopes this event will help establish Grand Rapids on the fashion map, instead of always sending serious shoppers to Chicago.

Murray cited the many restaurants, entertainment venues and other attractions Grand Rapids offers, adding that the fashion industry could further enhance the city’s economy.

“We don’t have the retail to put all the pieces together,” Murray said. Friday night could change that though, as retailers put on runway events, special sales and extravagant after parties to entice shoppers.

More information about everything included in Fashion’s Night Out Grand Rapids is available on their website and Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FashionsNight OutGrandRapids.

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