Quick, think of the world’s fashion hubs. New York, Paris, London and Milan come to mind? How about in California? San Francisco and Los Angeles, right?

San Diego may not be on the list of fashion hotspots – yet – but that doesn’t mean we don’t crave cool clothes. That’s where Thread comes in. The quarterly “fashion and lifestyle show” brings independent designers together to showcase the latest in clothing and accessories for women and men. The sixth Thread show takes place Sunday, May 22, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Old Wonderbread Bakery.

But Thread is more than a trunk show – it’s an event. In addition to the chance to peruse the wares of about 80 nationwide designers in one place, there’s an hourly runway show, a martini lounge, an art show and charity auction, and DJs spinning down-tempo to set the right ambiance.

Thread began a year and a half ago in Lara Matthews’ back yard. The British ex-pat knew designers who were looking for a place to sell their stuff. She brought them into her back yard, did some marketing and 100 people showed up. Matthews knew she was on to something.

“I saw this kind of thing going on in L.A. and thought, San Diegans also want to shop for cool stuff,” said Matthews. “We don’t all wear flip-flops. We have some style but we don’t always have places to shop, because we don’t always want to go to the mall.”

Thread has grown with each show, moving from the back yard to an art gallery to a furniture store to the lovely, historic (and sadly, soon to be demolished) Old Wonderbread Bakery building downtown, where thousands of fashionistas descended at the last event in December.

“San Diego keeps it going because everyone turns up,” said Matthews, who has a background in sales and marketing, and is familiar with the fashion industry. “I just help promote it and gather up all the designers.”

Most of the participants at the upcoming event are from California. Hawaii, New York and Chicago will also be represented. Local designers and companies include Sally Bee, Ginger Che, Kites and Handmade, accessories by Coquito Workroom and Salvation Sacks, jewelry by Bohemian Jewel and Sara and Sarah Design, men’s fashion by Iron Fist, and health and beauty by Blu Globe Fusion.

Matthews, along with a team of artists and designers, handpick the participants in the show. The criteria? “What’s relevant and not relevant to the fashion world right now,” she said. “And also what’s made well. We want to maintain a good standard and a level of uniqueness.”

In addition to the shopping, Thread offers an art show and charity auction to benefit the California Arts Council. Curated by artist Jonas Depuis, the art show and auction will feature new works from painters, sculptors and photographers from Southern California. There’s also an upstairs lounge with a martini bar and café to refresh weary shoppers.

Artist and clothing designer Ginger Che, owner of Fathom Design Gallery in La Jolla, has participated in the last two Thread events. She called the event “inspiring.”

“The whole vibe of the event is very young and very refreshing,” she said. “You have all these creative talents coming together – art, music, fashion. Talent that has a lot of potential.”

Che’s one-of-a-kind clothing and accessories mix East and West with a touch of the organic. She draws upon her painting and artwork in her design, incorporating a variety of materials in her fashion including beads, shells, rice, glass and seeds. Fashion is more than functionality, according to Che – it’s also an artistic medium, a powerful way to express yourself and inspire others.

“I’m a painter first,” Che said. “I basically use the body as a canvas as I decorate around it. I sculpt with clothing.”

It’s precisely this kind of artistic expression that Matthews suspects people are after when they come to a show like Thread. They’re looking for the unique item they can’t find at department stores and mall chain stores.

“People come because they want one-of-a-kind pieces,” Matthews said. “There’s high interest because a lot of designers come from outside of San Diego. So it’s like having L.A. brought to us, in a way. And they come to see the fashion show, pick up a cool magazine they haven’t seen before. They come to people-watch. And they come for inspiration – people want to see what other people are buying, wearing, listening to.”

As more shows like Thread emerge and thrive, it may be a sign that San Diegans are becoming more fashion-conscious. The laid-back city is increasingly becoming more metropolitan, its arts and culture growing more sophisticated. And designers like Che feel like they’re on the cusp of a burgeoning fashion scene.

“San Diego is a very young city. It is also young for art, fashion and music,” Che said. “Like everything, you can look at that from two different perspectives – I wish I was in New York, Paris, Los Angeles. People would understand my work better; there would be a larger crowd of people who could relate because there’s more exposure. The other side of the coin is that, since San Diego is so young, we can be at the beginning of a new fashion era. We are a part of it. Twenty to 30 years from now, we can say we were the first participants of Thread show … Maybe in 10, 20 or 30 years we’ll have a little Soho in San Diego.”