San Francisco is a west-coast mecca for areas like business, cuisine and entertainment.
On the business end, Silicon Valley and the internet conglomerates like Google, Twitter and Facebook, command national and international attention. Their moves are observed globally. The use of these tools have the ability to sway social and political factions on a global level. There is no doubt in anyone's minds how important the SF Bay Area is in this area.
In terms of cuisine, between the international fame of Napa Valley and the internationally recognized cooking schools which seem abundant in the area, many of the top restaurants in the nation are located here. And due to the incredible diversity, there is an amazing array of different types of international cuisines to choose from. Again, no question that when it comes to food, San Francisco is a well known destination of choice.
Even in the entertainment arenas the Bay Area is able to hold it's own. Silicon Valley is a centerpiece of the incredible lucrative global gaming market, and most of the top video game companies are located in the Bay. In terms of filmmaking, we have Lucas Arts, Pixar, Francis Ford Coppolla...though smaller than New York or Los Angeles, there is a definitely mark of major and independent filmmakers in the Bay Area. In terms of music, many of our local groups and artists, such as Santana, The Grateful Dead, E-40, Goapele, Digital Underground, Jefferson Airplane, The Doobie Brothers, Sly and the Family Stone, Tower of Power..the list goes on and on. There is no question of the influence of the San Francisco Bay Area on music as well as the ability for the area to produce artsts that achieve international fame through the decades.
So the question begs itself, where does San Francisco fit in terms of it's impact on the world of fashion? There are major fashion shows in Paris, Milan, New York, Los Angeles...each of these port cities know for their diversity and international flair. San Francisco is as much of a draw as any of these locations and has a sophisticated and diverse population who thrive on fashion and should be seen as much as an influence as those other cities, especially since San Francisco stands as the U.S. gateway to Asia, and should be the jumping off point for designers from Asia to show their work.
I often wondered why San Francisco has never risen to this level of influence in the fashion world. Bay Area needs to work to make an impact in this area as we have in the other major areas of influence. But is the Bay ready to support rising to this occasion in this manner? There have been so many changes in business models like entertainment with the introduction of itunes and youtube and business with the introduction of social networking...is there an opportunity for San Francisco to put a spin on the way fashion is delivered to the individual?
