Set to crash the party?

Looks like the push from downtown denizens and the garment industry to bring L.A. Fashion Week back to its downtown roots has officially gained traction.

Leanna Lewis, an organizer from the BOXeight fashion shows, is producing Downtown L.A. Fashion Week, a four-day event that’s reportedly luring a few designers away from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios, the main event of L.A. Fashion Week. Kelly Nishimoto, Single, Eduardo Lucero, Chloe Dao and Jeffrey Sebelia (showing his new contemporary collection, Good Vig), Nikki Sixx’s Royal Underground, Elmer Ave, Louis Verdad and Lotta Stensson are all on the schedule for the event, set to run from Oct. 15 to 18 at the Pavilion at the new L.A. Live complex downtown -- overlapping the Smashbox shows (held Oct. 12 to 16 in Culver City) by two days.

But whether the fledgling show will actually go down -- at least as planned -- remains to be seen. Lewis said that although she’s secured sponsorships, there still isn’t enough money to fund the entire affair.

And Verdad says his appearance on the schedule is “news to me,” adding, “I never committed to anything. I’m not showing anywhere.” Conversely, a rep from Royal Underground and Elmer Ave co-founder Jonny Day say they are eagerly awaiting positive news from Lewis.

Meanwhile, Davis Factor, co-owner of Smashbox Studios -- which partners with IMG to produce L.A. Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios -- said his shows are definitely on.

And as for those persistent rumors that IMG will split with Smashbox: “I can’t say if we are or if we aren’t working together after this season,” Factor said. “But if for some reason we go our own ways, we will continue to do L.A. Fashion Week.”

-- Emili Vesilind