BUSINESSES behind a weekend event to raise the profile of York’s fashion industry are already making plans for a second event in September.

Fashion City York, organised by a collaboration of retailers in the city, was sponsored by Browns and Fenwicks, and included a Fashion Village in a tent in St Sampson’s Square, as well as a Catwalk York show held at the Guildhall on Saturday evening.

Retailers and other fashion businesses also held offers over the weekend to encourage shoppers to come out in force.

Russell Norton, chairman of Fashion City York, said the event exceeded expectations.

Mr Norton said: “It has given especially small traders a really good opportunity to showcase themselves. I’ve had nothing but good feedback from the Fashion Village, where traders well exceeded what they were expecting to achieve this weekend.

“It has exceeded our expectations considering it’s an entirely self-funded project. We’ve had strong support from the council, but no public funding whatsoever, so the success of the event has been the fact it was received so well from small and large businesses.”

Mr Norton said they would now collect feedback about sales and footfall to quantify the boost to the industry.

Sarah Wells, a member of the Fashion City York committee and owner of Elizabeth Wells Lingerie, said the next event on September 10 and 11 would again feature a Fashion Village and a catwalk show in a marquee Parliament Street.

“The two weekend events are pilots and to get people involved. The 2012 event will be a week-long event when we’re thinking of focusing each day on a different theme, such as vintage or high street, and hold catwalks specifically for those themes.

“I’ve met a lot of other businesses I could work with and it highlights that we have all this – designers, people who make things, vintage businesses – in York. The aim is to get people to see it as a shopping destination as well as for its tourism, architecture, and history,” she said.