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That was the first time Silver Spring hosted Maryland Fashion Week. The event, now in its fourth consecutive year, brought together some of Maryland's biggest names in style and design.

"Maryland is becoming a center for fashion. We have people visiting here today from New York, Philadelphia and Atlanta," said Theresa Dyer, the event's director and CEO of Model and Talent Associates.

Fashion designers, photographers, retailers and even curious window shoppers paused to watch as models walked down Ellsworth Drive for their moment on the runway.

More than 300 people were on hand for the event, which benefited the Have a Heart charitable campaign for cancer and a performing arts scholarship.

Models ranging in age from 5 to 45 wore a variety of fashion designs and styles, from upscale evening gowns to casual athletic wear.

Jessica Echols, a model and Prince George's County resident, was wearing what she called a "glitzy" and "glamorous" dress designed by Glynn Jackson. Echols has been modeling for eight years and said Saturday's show was an opportunity for her to generate exposure for a possible career in modeling.

"If I was signed tomorrow, I would leave tomorrow," she said. But for now, Echols said she's more concerned with her college courses at Bowie State University. "I try to do this in my spare time in between classes," she said.

In total, 11 designers presented their styles in Silver Spring. Many of the brands have a national reputation with local and regional roots.

Designer Joan Sealey, owner of Phoenix Bridal, a boutique store in Georgetown, has been designing wedding dresses and gowns for more than 20 years. Her shop recently moved from Northwest Washington so she could continue to meet business demands.

"Our business keeps growing, we have a better location and it's better for business," she said.

Sealey said events like the Maryland fashion show are helping to boost a network of clientele and brand recognition. She had 11 models wearing her designs on the runway.

While Silver Spring is beginning to attract fashion models and designers, it also has welcomed a number of fashion retailers and merchants.

In the last few years, national retailers such as New York & Company, American Apparel and Ann Taylor Loft have moved into the Silver Spring business district along with smaller specialty boutiques, such as marimekko and Metamorphosis.

As the number of fashion retailers and designers grows, some think Silver Spring has the potential to become a destination for savvy shoppers.

"It could be a fashion center," said Kenny "Kas" Flanagan, the designer of the KAS Collection clothing line and a spokesperson for the Greater Washington Fashion Chamber of Commerce.

"This event brings awareness that there are a lot of designers here in Maryland," he said.

Flanagan, a native Washingtonian, remembers living in Silver Spring when Hecht's was one of the few retail stores in the area. Now, he says, designers and businesses are working together so that Maryland retailers can sell the styles of Maryland designers.

Flanagan's personal story shows how many homegrown designers are making it big in the fashion world.

His designs recently won international acclaim at fashions shows in New York, London and Paris, and he was the first African-American couture designer to be carried by Saks Fifth Avenue.

"My pieces are very timely and don't go out of season. I've been compared to Versace and Yves Saint Laurent," he said.

His latest brand of clothing With Exceptional Taste — or W.E.T. — will be featured in a number of area malls and stores throughout the Washington, D.C., area this fall.

Flanagan said events like the Maryland Fashion Week help build-up the community of fashion within the Washington, D.C., area.

"We just need the exposure and to be taken seriously as designers. Instead of just looking at D.C. as a political town, it could also be seen as a fashion town," he said.