Abbot Kinney Festival hosts 31st annual event with local fashion vendors

Los Angeles - This weekend, Venice hosted its annual Abbot Kinney Festival. The 31st year of the event returned to Los Angeles on September 27 infusing culture and fashion for locals.

The event, which draws in over 100,000 visitors every year, took place with over 300 designers, artists, and vendors. Local talents participated in the event in order to showcase their merchandise and gain exposure for their brands. The event included a number of stylish Los Angeles-based labels including Junk Food Clothing and Aust. Also, the event established its own merchandise that it sold at the festival, including various t-shirts and hoodies. In addition to this, Abbot Kinney Boulevard is already regarded as a popular shopping spot in the greater Los Angeles area. The strip includes various pop-ups as well as established boutiques including Heist, Santine, Lucky Brand, Zingara, Aesop, and more.

The vision of the event is to help raise money for local organizations. The festival donates its proceeds towards the Abbot Kinney Festival Association, which emphasizes helping organizations involving youth, community, and the arts. The event is known for its lavish activities for locals as a fun attraction, but it also serves as a fundraiser. “I think a lot of people come to the festival because it’s such a great time--[but] the festival is so much more than that,” said Donna Humphrey, chair of the Abbot Kinney Festival Association. The festival attracts many locals due to its variety of vendors which include fashion retailers, artists, designers, and food vendors. The one-day event’s purpose is to use these attracts and gear them towards a greater cause. Any proceeds from the event are directly reinvested in the community through the Abbot Kinney Festival Association.

The event has been established for over 30 years, making 2015 it’s 31st annual event. The long-time fundraiser works with the Abbot Kinney Festival Association, a grant making organization to create festival activities such as these. This event serves as the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

Photo: Jakob N. Layman, Lincoln & Rose