Eric Richardson [Flickr]

Models wearing designs by Seth Aaron walk a short, solar catwalk in SolarWorld's booth at Solar Power International 2010.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Downtown's participation in the Fashion Week season kicked off on Wednesday afternoon in the most unlikely of places.

Seth Aaron, winner of Project Runway's seventh season, showed off his latest collection on a tiny runway inside SolarWorld's booth at Solar Power International 2010, a trade convention taking place this week at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Aaron's collection — which he emphasized was not intended to be wearable — takes its material and design cues from the designer's trip to SolarWorld's factory.

More conventional runway fare will follow later this week, though L.A.'s Fashion Week lineup is still made up of shows in scattered locations not much more tradition than Aaron's expo home.

On Friday, Concept Fashion Week returns for its second season, programming three nights of runway at the Spring Arts Tower. Mike Vensel, the designer who organized the event with Downtown's Brady Westwater, takes his latest collection to the runway on opening night, as does Downtown-based Fremont.

A few blocks away, the Millinery Guild of Southern California will use the Biltmore for a hat show featuring a dozen designers, including Mondo Guerra from Project Runway's season 8.

Buyer-focused shows also kick off Friday in the Fashion District. California Market Center hosts noon runway shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, while trend-forecasting firm Directives West will hold its "First.LA" show on Friday evening in the Cooper Design Center penthouse.

Shows get back underway on Wednesday, October 20, with a cotton industry-sponsored show at Exchange LA that includes Downtown's Skingraft.

World Coast Management’s LA Fashion Week rounds out the lineup with runway shows on October 21, 22 and 23 held at LA Production Studios' space just on the Downtown side of the 10 freeway.