Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and The WB Collective Powered by WBEC South Present NFW Learning Lab

NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK ANNOUNCES LEARNING LAB TO BE PRESENTED BY THE NASHVILLE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE WB COLLECTIVE POWERED BY WBEC SOUTH

Nashville Fashion Week is designed to showcase and support the local fashion community by providing educational opportunities to engage, learn and connect experientially within the Nashville community. NFW is excited to announce the second of our three FREE 2021 Learning Labs to be presented in partnership with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the WB Collective Powered By WBEC South on Thursday, October 14 at the WB Collective Nashville.

The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce is also the presenting sponsor of the NFW VIP Mixer at The Westin Nashville on Tuesday, October 12 prior to the Suiting the Sound: The Rodeo Tailors Who Made Country Stars Shine Brighter panel discussion and Museum Tour presented by the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum. This mixer is for NFW VIP Pass holders only. A limited number of passes are still available at NashvilleFashionWeek.com.

“The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to partner with Nashville Fashion Week as we celebrate the fashion and retail industry’s contributions to our city and the integral role of this creative economy to our region’s economic growth. We applaud NFW for providing a platform where creators can showcase their work and aspiring entrepreneurs can connect with resources and relationships to turn creative outlets into successful businesses. - Haley Hatchell, Director of Small Business and Growth Initiatives, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce

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TIKTOK, TECH AND TRENDS: THE EVOLVING BUSINESS OF FASHION

Presented in partnership with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the WB Collective Powered by WBEC South 

Thursday, October 14 |  4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Location: WB Collective Nashville
613 Ewing Ave, 2nd Floor Nashville, TN 37203

Admission: FREE ticket with registration

This interactive panel discussion will offer varying perspectives on evolutionary business practices in the fashion and retail industry. This event will also include an opportunity to shop a curated selection of #Nashpreneurs pop-up shops and time to network while enjoying light bites and refreshments provided by Titos Handmade Vodka and Blade and Bow.

The panel will be moderated by Phala Mire, President and CEO of WBEC South. Panelists include Steven Romeo, Founder/CEO, Music City Creative; Trinity Wiles, Co-Founder, Where and Share Inc.; and Anna Caroline Toms, Owner, LA Green Nashville.

Phala Mire, President and CEO of WBEC South, leads the southern regional partner organization (RPO) of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) providing WBE certification, development and business opportunities in Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and the Florida Panhandle. Phala facilitates business growth, job creation, and access to capital for women business enterprises, while cultivating relationships and advocating for diversity and inclusion in the public and private sectors. She is also responsible for the development of relationships with key community partners and stakeholders. Phala’s most recent accomplishments include launching the Women’s Business Center South in Memphis, TN as part of the historic SBA expansion of 20 WBCs across the country, as well as the Enterprising Women of Color Program, powered by the MBDA, establishing cutting-edge training and creating opportunities for minority women-owned business enterprises.

Steven Romeo is an entrepreneur, artist, and community organizer with a Master of Public Administration. As founder and CEO of Music City Creative, Romeo brought eco-friendly custom apparel to Nashville in 2020. Their hand-screen printing shop and retail store use prosocial storytelling to advance social equity, while its sustainability focused practices push the standard for green apparel. Romeo has created multiple socially conscious brands that give back to the community through education and fundraising. A professional photographer with a passion for entrepreneurship, Romeo believes in using the art of storytelling to support marginalized communities. They are also the founder and CEO of Progressive Threads, an advocacy apparel brand. 

As Co-Founder of Where and Share Inc., Trinity Wiles identifies opportunities to improve the retail experience using technology. She leads all R&D efforts with manufacturers and her development team. She comes from a background in tech and fashion. Where and Share develops interactive mirrors for retailers to increase sales and provide a better experience for customers. Trinity and her Co-Founder discovered the fitting room is the highest sales conversion zone yet retailers have no data to capture what customers are trying on or the capabilities to market back to them based on preferences. Where and Share incorporates in-store tech, social media, and eCommerce capabilities to harmonize the in-store and online shopping experience. 

Anna Caroline Toms is the owner of L.A. Green in Nashville. The first and original L.A. Green location in Starkville, MS was a huge part of her life throughout high school and college and her favorite local boutique to fill her closet with. Upon graduating, Anna Caroline was given the opportunity to sit down and speak with the franchise owner, Lauren Ann Cooper, about potentially opening a location of her own. The dream of a Nashville store began! Nashville has always had Anna Caroline’s heart, and after lots of time and research, she landed in the Capitol View development in the North Gulch. The store opened in November of 2019.

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Pop-up vendors will include Music City Creative, LA Green, Neta's Natural, Kandles by Kierra along with Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipients Prange Apparel + Innovate by Prange Apparel, Black by Maria Silver, Eric Adler Clothing, Van Hoang and others.

“Experience industry education, diverse panel discussions, and networking opportunities during Nashville Fashion Week at the WB Collective, a professional, collaborative environment, built for women executives and CEOs to cowork and connect.” - Katherine Garcia, Director of Operations - WB Collective 

Built for women executives & CEOs to cowork and connect, The WB Collective is a collaborative work environment offering professional offices, meeting, and event space, designed to elevate female founders and entrepreneurs with access to resources, opportunities, and support while growing their business. Other benefits of membership include mailboxes and package receiving, office equipment, high-speed internet, common luxury workspaces, convenient kitchen and amenities, and 24/7 building access with secure key fob entry. Currently, the WB Collective has locations in downtown New Orleans and Nashville. The WB Collective is powered by the Women’s Business Enterprise Council (WBEC) South, a regional partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the largest certifier of women-owned businesses in the U.S.

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While we are excited to gather both digitally and in person for NFW 2021, the health and safety of our guests, participants and team remains our top priority. A full COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID-19 test will be required to attend or participate in any Nashville Fashion Week 2021 event

NFW strongly encourages vaccination. For anyone who is not fully vaccinated, a negative COVID-19 test result must be obtained within 48 hours of attending any event. NFW now requires that everyone must wear a mask indoors at all times. This protocol is based on current CDC standards. Any changes to these procedures will be communicated prior to each event

COVID-19 vaccines are now widely available to all Tennesseans ages 12 and up in all 95 counties across our state. Find a location close to you at VaccineFinder.org to insure that you’ve done your part to keep NFW 2021 and our community safe for everyone. 

Are You The Next Nashville Fashion Forward Fund Recipient?

Nashville Fashion Week was conceived in 2010 to foster and support Nashville’s heralded community spirit and concentration of creative, fashion-forward and entrepreneurial talent with an ongoing, sustainable focus for philanthropic support of our creative community. All proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. The NFF Fund gives an annual experiential award to advance the career of select local talent with demonstrated experience in a fashion-related field each year and ensures that Nashville Fashion Week will impact the Nashville fashion community for many years to come.

Van Hoang, our 2018 NFFF recipient, and Maria Silver, 2017, both used their awards this summer for trips abroad to learn and explore sustainability. Van attended the Copenhagen Fashion Summit and Maria traveled to London for the Decoded Future Summit. They both returned to Nashville with a new perspective and inspiration from the unique experiences that the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund provided them. What experience would catapult you and your business?

ARE YOU THE NEXT NFFF RECIPIENT?

Well, get ready...The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee will start accept applications for the 2019 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund on September 4 through October 15. Professionals working in all aspects of the fashion industry, from designers and photographer to stylists, models, hair and makeup artists, retail owners, influencers, and everything in between are encouraged to apply. Start thinking about the best way to present your case for an experiential professional development opportunity that will develop and enhance you, your career and ultimately our fashion community. The NFF Fund award is provided each year through proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week.

Six other recipients have received NFFF awards to enhance their careers: Apparel designers Eric Bornhop, Julianna Bass and Lauren Leonard Phelps; fashion photographer Brett Warren; accessory designer Ceri Hoover; and Elise Joseph, founder of Pennyweight and Goodwin. We'd love to add your name to this list!

The NFFF award recipient is selected by a committee of the Board of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and will be notified later this year. Detailed information will be announced on September 4th when the application goes live. #whynfw

Do You Have Your Tickets?

NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK IS JUST FIVE WEEKS AWAY! DO YOU HAVE YOUR TICKETS YET?

Tickets are selling fast! The Influencer Brunch, scheduled for March 16 at Ellington’s Mid Way Bar & Grill at the Fairlane Hotel, and the Men's Style Event at the Dream Nashville Hotel  on March 27 will set the stage for Nashville Fashion Week, April 2-6. Year nine of Nashville Fashion Week will feature four nights of runway shows featuring twenty local and regional designers in partnership with OZ Arts Nashville. The week will end with a big celebration on April 6 at the 5th Annual Fashion Forward Gala. You don't want to miss a thing!

Tickets to all of these events are now on sale at NashvilleFashionWeek.com.

• Influencer Brunch $30

• Men's Style Event $30

• Individual Runway Tickets - $50 General Admission (Standing Room Only) | $75 Seated

• Runway Passes - $200 General Admission (Standing Room Only) and VIP access | $300 Premium Seating for four nights of Runway and VIP access

• Fashion Forward Gala - $250 per person/$2500 for Table for 10

• All Access Pass - $500 Premium Seating with front row priority for four nights of Runway, VIP access, and a Fashion Forward Gala ticket

NFW Learning Labs and the Shop Nashville schedule will be released soon.

Nashville Fashion Forward recipients Eric Adler Bornhop 2015, Maria Silver 2017 and Van Hoang 2018 with their model muses. Photographed by Daniel Meigs. Models: Ashley Fisher, Bentley Caldwell and Clare Baldridge, AMAX Talent. Beauty: Joselyn Maness and Janelle Wood, AMAX Creative. Location: Wilburn Street Studio.

YOU'RE INVITED TO THE 5TH FASHION FORWARD GALA ON APRIL 6

The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee invites you to celebrate and support the entrepreneurial spirit of Nashville’s creative arts and fashion community with Nashville Fashion Week and our partner OZ Arts Nashville at the Fifth Annual Nashville Fashion Forward Fund Gala on Saturday, April 6 at OZ Arts Nashville. This is the fourth year that Nashville Fashion Week will present its Nashville Fashion Forward Awards at the Fashion Forward Gala to recognize community leaders that have made an impact on the Nashville fashion industry. Join us in honoring Andrew Clancey, Margaret Ellis, Claudia Fowler, Margo Price, Linda Roberts, Sofie Rovenstine and Olia Zavozina.

Enjoy a delicious dinner from G Catering, wine from Love and Exile Wines and spirits from Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Beefeater London Pink Gin and Jameson Black Barrel  in vivid space designed by Amos Events with BOLD touches by Bright Events, Please Be Seated and Oshi Floral Design to create the perfect ambiance for this immersive evening. CraftCourse and Hi-Fi Media have planned innovative experiences for our guests that will be a BOLD punctuation to the Nashville Fashion Week experience. Artist Tess Erlenborn will live paint two pieces to be auctioned at the end of the night to benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund. Dress boldly and colorfully. This is going to be a night to remember! 

Reserve your seat/table with ticket purchase by March 27 at NashvilleFashionWeek.com. All proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. 

And the 2018 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund Recipient is...

NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK ANNOUNCES THE 2018 NASHVILLE FASHION FORWARD FUND RECIPIENT AND 2019 PARTNERSHIP WITH OZ ARTS NASHVILLE

Thank you to all that joined us for our 2019 Nashville Fashion Week Launch Party last night at OZ Arts Nashville! We were excited to announce our 2018 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient with plans for our 2019 city-wide celebration of Nashville's thriving fashion and retail community to an enthusiastic and sold-out crowd.

MEET THE EIGHTH ANNUAL NASHVILLE FASHION FORWARD FUND RECIPIENT

We are proud to announce fashion designer Van Hoang as our 2018 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient. A selection committee from The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee selected Hoang from a diverse group of experienced fashion industry applicants.

The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennesseee is an endowed fund that supports the next generation of fashion industry professionals with ties to Middle Tennessee by providing an annual financial award and resources for experiential professional development opportunities to advance the career of select local talent with demonstrated experience in a fashion-related field based on pre-established criteria.

“I am incredibly honored to be the recipient of this years Nashville Fashion Forward Fund," said Hoang. "This award will enable me to attend the Copenhagen Fashion Summit which is a global conference about sustainability in fashion and this opportunity will allow me to learn from top leaders in the field. I hope to bring this knowledge back to Nashville and turn ideas into action.”

Van Hoang is a designer based in Nashville, TN. She has a B.F.A. in Fashion Design & Merchandising from O’More College of Design as well as an M.A. in Design for Sustainability from Savannah College of Art & Design. Her aesthetic is modern yet timeless, versatile, and functional. She is interested in the intersection of sustainability, fashion, and technology and how those fields can work together to innovate solutions and break down barriers to create a more sustainable fashion system. Hoang's mission is to offer an alternative to fast fashion that many have become accustomed to. In the past she created one-of-a-kind gowns with intricate craftsmanship and couture techniques. However, she recently launched her namesake high-end ready-to-wear line that is handmade in Nashville and hopes to build a company with sustainability, quality, and community as it’s core values. Hoang showed on the Nashville Fashion Week runway in 2015.

“Talent and commitment was seen in every one of the 18 applications this year and our committee was thrilled to read the record number of applications and be introduced to so many creative voices in our community" said Amy Fair, Vice President, Donor Services at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. "In the end, it was Van’s incredible presentation and vision for how the experience of traveling to the Copenhagen Fashion Summit would enhance her commitment to sustainable fashion and allow her to begin to build an international network of like-minded individuals interested in the intersection of fashion, sustainability, and technology.”

The establishment of the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund in 2010 by the co-founders of Nashville Fashion Week was inspired by the professional development provided by the Council of Fashion Designers (CFDA) through programs such as the CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund. The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee that is funded with charitable donations and proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week. The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund ensures that Nashville Fashion Week is not just a signature high-profile event to celebrate creativity, but also an ongoing, sustainable focus for philanthropic support of our community.

Previous Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipients include apparel designers Maria Silver, Eric Bornhop, Julianna Bass and Lauren Leonard Phelps; fashion photographer Brett Warren; accessory designer Ceri Hoover, and Elise Joseph, founder of Goodwin.

SAVE THESE DATES!

Nashville Fashion Week will take place April 2-6, 2019 in collaboration with our strategic partner OZ Arts Nashville. The fifth annual Nashville Fashion Forward Gala will also take place at OZ Arts on January 19. 

“We are so thrilled to have OZ Arts Nashville as our strategic partner and our home for all of our runway shows again this year,” said Nashville Fashion Week co-founders/managing partners Connie Cathcart-Richardson and Marcia Masulla. “OZ Arts has been a long time friend and supporter of NFW and together we will continue to take Nashville Fashion Week and our creative community to the next level.” 

“OZ Arts is proud of its ongoing partnership with Nashville Fashion Week,” said OZ Arts President and CEO Tim Ozgener. “I believe fashion is one of Nashville’s most dynamic creative industries. Helping showcase this industry and its designers while supporting the growth of Nashville’s creative class just makes sense for us at OZ Arts Nashville.”

Cathcart-Richardson and Masulla are excited to showcase the accompishments of Nashville's established designers as well as new emerging designers found through the NFW application process on the runway at OZ.

“Our mission from day one has been to educate local and national audiences about Nashville’s thriving fashion industry. Nashville Fashion Week and the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund have helped raise awareness of Nashville’s vast creative talent by showcasing over 130 designers and hundreds of local businesses with an investment of over $1 million in the local fashion community over the past eight years," Cathcart-Richardson and Masulla said. "We look forward to fostering Nashville’s fashion-forward and entrepreneurial talent for many years to come with this volunteer led and run event.”

Nashville Fashion Week was founded in 2010 as an all-volunteer led and run event spotlighting Nashville’s growing fashion community with a sustainable focus of philanthropic support of the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Nashville Fashion Week features local, regional and national designers and industry professionals in an array of creative events throughout the week to encourage both Nashvillians and visitors to explore the city’s diverse fashion and retail spaces through promotions, partnerships and educational workshops.

Tickets to the Nashville Fashion Forward Gala will go on sale November 26 at NashvilleFashionWeek.com.

ONLY 10 MORE DAYS FOR DESIGNERS TO APPLY TO SHOW AT NFW '19

WHO'S NEXT? APPLY NOW FOR AMAX + NFW MODEL SEARCH 2019 

Introducing AMAX Talent + NFW Model Search 2019

Nashville Fashion Week and AMAX Talent Announce Model Search 2019

AMAX Talent is searching for aspiring models through December 2 to debut at Nashville Fashion Week 2019. Eligible male and female applicants ages 13-30 will have the opportunity to meet with AMAX Talent model scouts for a chance at the grand prize. 

The finalists will be announced early 2019 with the winner announced in April during Nashville Fashion Week. The winner will receive a prize package that includes:

• $1,000 modeling contract and development with AMAX Talent

• The opportunity to meet one-on-one with top national modeling agents including IMG, Next, Elite and Ford and to walk the Nashville Fashion Week runway

• A professional photo shoot with a local fashion photographer

• A gift bag provided by Lucy Pop Salon

All finalists will have the opportunity to meet with agents from top agencies during the AMAX showcase and will receive beauty makeovers by Lucy Pop Salon.

Applications will be accepted at NashvilleFashionWeek.com, and through the @AMAXArmy Instagram account. A live model call will also be held on Friday, October 19 from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. at Love 30A, 30 Gardenia Street, Cottage 3, Santa Rosa, Florida 32459 during fall break.

No experience is required, but applicants must meet all of the physical and age requirements and guidelines specified on NashvilleFashionWeek.com. Only models NOT represented by other agencies are eligible to participate. All Model Search applicants will also be considered for Nashville Fashion Week model casting.

The AMAX + NFW Model Search has been a launchpad for many successful modeling careers since 2012. 2018 Model Search winner Aubrey Hill walked in Nashville Fashion Week and made the cover of Native Magazine, shot by Brett Warren. She will be spending this fall modeling in Thailand. 2017 Model Search winner Ella Miller is in development and has worked with photographers Brett Warren, Mark DeLong, Jess Williams and Mario Pena. Only two weeks after being named the 2016 Model Search winner, Molly Rothe was selected to walk for Carolina Herrera. She has since received multiple contract offers from top agencies around the world and worked with renowned photographer Emma Summerton. 2015 Model Search winner, Briggs Rudder, spent the summer modeling in Japan, and is signed with Wilhelmina in New York where she has worked for Maybelline and walked for Valentino. 2014 winner, Sydney Chiyoko, is signed with Next Model Management in Los Angeles and Miami and with DNA Models in New York. She has walked in Nashville Fashion Week and Miami Swim Week and starred in campaigns for Uta and Bad Habit Beauty.  2013 winner, Olivia Brunner, has been featured in Justine Magazine and worked for TJ Maxx. Caleigh Darraugh, the 2012 Model Search winner, has worked in Paris, New York, Los Angeles and Asia. Her clients include Marc Jacobs, Kate Spade, Gilt Group, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire France and L’Officiel and she has appeared on the cover of WWD and L’Officiel Morocco. 

AMAX Talent is a full service agency representing fashion, commercial and lifestyle models as well as actors, hair and make-up artists, and wardrobe stylists. Cherylann Stephens, former director of Next and Wilhelmina in Los Angeles, opened AMAX's parent company, Maximum Artist Creative Services, in 2005 to fill the need for an artists agency in the Nashville market. In 2009 MACS acquired AMAX, a well known Nashville modeling agency founded in 1989. In 2012, AMAX was joined by Ginny Edwards Maxwell, a well-known model scout and mother agent. Through a strong emphasis on both local and direct booking, as well as scouting and developing local models for international placement, AMAX has quickly risen to become one of the premier agencies in the Southeast. AMAX models have been featured in campaigns for Calvin Klein, Celine, Jill Stuart, American Eagle, Ralph Lauren, Levi's, Tommy Hilfiger as well as walked the runways of Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Prada, Versace and Louis Vuitton. For more information on the agency, please visit AMAXTalent.com.

Who Will Be The Next Nashville Fashion Forward Fund Recipient?

The Application Deadline is this FRIDAY, October 19

Don't let this opportunity pass you by! Applications for the 2018 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund Award are due by 4 p.m. on Friday, October 19 at The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. #whynfw

Nashville Fashion Week 2019 Emerging Designer applications are being accepted now through November 25th too. Detailed information can be found under APPLICATIONS at NashvilleFashionWeek.com.