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Photographers, flashing camera bulbs, techno music, bright lights, sleek audience, and svelte models slinking down the runway. Clearly a scene from New York City's fashion week or the catwalks of Milan?

Think again.

Surprisingly, the preceding description is from Baltimore's own 903 North Charles Street, home of Red Maple lounge, where local brand Riot Apparel celebrated its launch and debuted its spring/summer collection this past Sunday night.

The runway show began at around 10 p.m., though Red Maple--Baltimore's only lounge slightly comparable to the chic hot-spots of Los Angeles and New York City--was packed and bustling when I arrived an hour earlier.

The patrons who were ushered into the dimly-lit club were as cosmopolitan and fashion-forward as the colorful martinis they sipped, and the common vibe was youthful effervescence. Gathered together this Sunday evening was Baltimore's equivalent to the New York fashion set, a population of young professional blazer-blazing boys and their clutch-carrying counterparts. Apparently they do exist in this city.

Bass-heavy records spun by guest DJ Dalua kept the audience grooving while, like all proper fashion events, the show took a fashionably-late start.

Ten o'clock found the music cranked-up, blinding lights illuminating the floor, and the audience crowding to the sides so as to clear the way for the twenty or so lanky models to strut their stuff -- and Riot's designs -- down the center isle of the lounge.

The collection featured mostly t-shirts, tank-tops, underwear, a few skirts, and a plethora of fish-net stockings, all bearing Riot Apparel's signature, one-of-a-kind prints

The fledgling brand itself is the brainchild of founder and creative director Ginny Lawhorn, a Baltimore-based student and artist. Working with local artists and designers who create intricate mod and gothic-inspired sketches, Lawhorn and her colleagues then hand-paint these one-of-a-kind sketches onto American Apparel garments, a Los Angeles-based, unionized sweatshop-free textile manufacturer.

Therefore, the t-shirts, tank tops, and skirts that Riot Apparel produces and sells on its online Web site (http://www.riotapparel.com) and at various boutiques throughout Baltimore are not manufactured by the company itself, but feature the artistic creations of Lawhorn and her Baltimore designers.

As stated on the brand's grunge-punk-inspired Web site, Riot Apparel's mission is to "create the most compelling brand possible, but also aim to be a catalyst for constructive social change in every aspect of our business."

And while the launch-party at hip Red Maple was vibrant and edgy--a most chic conduit for introducing the brand--the clothes themselves were much less so.

Because Riot Apparel featured mostly white t-shirts, tanks, and skirts with small prints adorning them, there were no pieces that truly stood out, or awed the audience with their uniqueness--a goal sought by all designers debuting their line.

Moreover, the prints were often so small that the plain block-color garments were far more prevalent than the detailing.

While I found the black fish-net stockings laced with distinctive pink accents an innovative addition in the realm of hosiery, the clothes themselves were generally expressionless, and require far more spunk and originality if Riot Apparel desires main-stream appeal and a wide consumer base.

It's obvious that the company is seeking to occupy an alternative-punk-rocker-chic niche, but brands that successfully garner this reputation -- Grail, Modern Amusement, and Tyler Speed, to name a few -- offer clothing lines that truly are incomparable to other available brands -- think bright green blazers with one-of-a-kind vintage army patches.

Then there stands the dubious question of whether a consumer base for edgy apparel truly exists in the city of Baltimore. Over the past few years, Baltimore has attracted a number of forward-thinking clothing designers, many of whom have sold their designs to stores like Oh! Said Rose in the "SoHo-like" area of Hampden.

It therefore remains to be seen whether Riot Apparel can float in a "fashion-unfriendly" city, especially with designs that aren't much different than the mundane garb retailing at Towson Commons.

Still, the night was far from a bust. Though Riot Apparel certainly has some revisions to make to its current line, it's more than heartening to know Baltimore houses some fashion-minded, up-and-coming designers.

Moreover, the fact that a local fashion show attracted such an impressive number of savvy Baltimoreans gives ammunition to the few Hopkins optimists, who covertly wonder: maybe this city isn't so bad after all?

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