SPRINGFIELD — When my mother stepped onto the runway at Fab Passion Fashion Week New England 2025, she wasn’t just debuting a collection — she was fulfilling a dream she’d carried since childhood.

I was invited to host Fab Passion Fashion Week back in 2024; founder and designer Richie Richardson personally outfitted me during a fitting at his boutique in Turners Falls. Before the show, as I stood before a mirror with straight pins marking the dress I would wear that evening, he told me to be careful of the sharp points.