I was asked to participate in this show but decided against it, mostly because I assumed that the media would largely ignore this event and it would be a waste of my time and money; not to belittle the hard work of Petra & the IMA. A google search of "Project IMA" yields few results and the event is pretty much forgotten thanks to the poor media coverage. As a fashion designer living in Indianapolis, I have encountered countless dead ends in the form of fashion events, arts shows, etc. that I hope will be the big break I need to get my name out there so now I'm very wary of participating in these types of happenings and instead rely on myself to make things happen. We have an entire section of the daily paper devoted to Sports and even the most trivial high school basketball game gets featured on the 11:00 news, while a fashion event that draws thousands of people fails to make a ripple. Indianapolis media disappoints again...

I would agree that everyone deserves recognition for a job well done, because everyone did a wonderful job in displaying their craft. But at the end of the day people will write, discuss and focus on what they are familiar with. All of the designers should be thankful for IMA for creating a platform to get noticed for your craft and begin to look forward to a promising future. At least that's what I'm doing:-)...

The perception that the Project IMA show marked the end of Midwest Fashion Week is wrong. They had nothing to do with each other. I also agree with Cathy's comment above.

Why would you remark on Martin's "not particularly stunning pieces," and Blaine's "cliche'd" pieces when there were some stunning pieces? Way to go, report on the same people, again and again. Let's hear about some of the other designers, eh? Kudos on mentioning Lindsey Davidson.