Tenth NFFF Recipient: Haley Maddox 2022

NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK ANNOUNCES
THE TENTH NASHVILLE FASHION FORWARD FUND RECIPIENT 

We are excited to announce Haley Maddox, co-owner and designer of MaddLove Bridal as our 2022 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient. A committee from The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee selected Haley from a diverse group of experienced fashion industry applicants based on specific criteria set by the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund co-founders. We will honor and celebrate Haley during our April 2023 festivities.

Haley Maddox has been working in Nashville since 2017 after studying fashion design at The Art Institute of Indianapolis and several internships in the bridal industry. She has worked as a production manager for Olia Zavozina and most recently at Workwear Outfitters where she was involved in fabric development, technical design and merchandising, to gain experience in all areas of the fashion business before pursing her dream of building her own brand.

“I feel so honored to be this year’s recipient of the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund. My plan is  to attend the Global Fashion Summit where I will soak up every bit of knowledge about sustainability I can get. I think there is a sense of responsibility for all of us in the fashion industry to understand how we harm our planet. It is important to me that my line uses new awareness and innovation to ensure I remain intentional with my environmental impact. That is why I am so excited for this opportunity to learn and grow!” - Haley Maddox, MaddLove Bridal

Haley has always aspired to have her own line and is in the process of launching MaddLove, a new-age bridal line, in 2023 with Adrienne Love. Adrienne is the owner of The Wedding Studio, the bridal boutique that Haley interned at during college that first sparked her love for the bridal industry. Adrienne currently has four store locations in Indiana and Kentucky with plans to expand to Nashville. What was once a lofty idea between a new bridal boutique owner and her bright-eyed intern is now becoming reality. They are combining the skills of a successful entrepreneur and the industry knowledge of a creative designer to create MaddLove, which is a play on their last names; Maddox and Love. 

The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee 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.

“The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund Award represents an investment in the creative and inspired individuals looking to expand the perspectives that will contribute to their personal growth and the growth of their role in the fashion industry. Haley joins a terrific and ever growing list of talented individuals who’ve put their vision to paper for a compelling experience that inspired the Award selection panel.”  - Amy Fair, Vice President of Donor Services, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee

Previous Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipients include manufacturer Megan Prange, apparel designers Van Hoang, Maria Silver, Eric Bornhop, Lauren Leonard Phelps and Julianna Bass; fashion photographer Brett Warren; accessory designer Ceri Hoover; and Elise Joseph, brand strategist and creative director.

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.

Nashville Fashion is Moving Forward

BUILDING AN ECOSYSTEM:
NASHVILLE FASHION IS MOVING FORWARD

It's been a very productive few weeks. Last week, Nashville Fashion Week hosted and collaborated with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) President, CaSandra Diggs and CFDA Connects Consulting Director Elliot Carlyle to align and build the foundation for a viable fashion industry ecosystem in Middle Tennessee.

Nashville Fashion Week has invested over $1.4 million into Nashville's fashion community over the past twelve years. This was accomplished with the heart and hustle of an all-volunteer led and run organization that has relied solely on sponsors and ticket sales to produce events and activations while providing experiential opportunities to nine Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipients through The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Fashion is one of the most influential drivers of culture, a beloved art and entertainment form, but we have not taken advantage of the fact that it is also one of the largest economic forces in the world. Now is the time for Nashville to change that.

The Nashville Fashion Week team, including new Nashville Fashion Forward leadership team member David Fischette of Go West Creative, invited and met with a curated group of community leaders, elected officials and organizations at W Nashville on Wednesday, May 4. The focus of the event was to present a proposed new direction for Nashville Fashion Week and to lobby for the Nashville fashion industry securing resources and financial support to build the foundation for a fashion industry ecosystem.

The following community and industry leaders attended the event with commitments to continue the conversation on how to support moving Nashville fashion forward. The individuals highlighted below in pink made statements to the group in support of the mission of moving Nashville fashion forward:

Office of Mayor John Cooper
- Courtney Pogue - Director of Economic & Community Development
- Mrs. Laura Fitzgerald-Cooper

Metro Nashville Council Members
- Kyonzte Toombs, District 2
- Jeff Syracuse, District 15
- Freddie O’Connell, District 19
- Joy Styles, District 32

Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation
- Heather Middleton, SR Vice President Of Marketing

Nashville Chamber of Commerce
- Hannah Holmes, Manager of Member Value
- Victoria Quigley, Director of Small Business Growth

Supermodel, Entrepreneur, Artist, & Activist
- Karen Elson
- Bonnie Dee Bowden - Karen Elson, Inc.

Launch TN
- Ashley Currie, Marketing & Communications Director

BrainTrust
- Sherry Deutschmann, Founder & CEO

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
- Amy Fair, Vice President of Donor Services

OJAS Partners
- Lizzy LeBleu, Real Estate Advisor

oneC1TY
- Caitlin Arnold, Marketing & Development

Middle Tennessee State University
- Rick Cottle, Associate Professor of Fashion & Apparel
- David Foster, Director of Marketing & Communications

Vanderbilt University
Deanna Meador, Director of Entrepreneurship, Wond’ry - Vanderbilt’s Innovation Center

Go West Creative
- David Fischette, CEO & Chief Creative

Nashville Fashion Forward Fund Recipients
- Megan Prange, Prange Apparel (2019)
- Maria Silver, Black by Maria Silver (2017)

Nashville Lifestyles
- Alison Abbey, Editor In Chief
- Brian Barry, Publisher

Tennessean
- Sherah Ndjongo - Business Reporter

In addition, both Kelly Helfman, Commercial President of Informa Markets Fashion - Organizers of MAGIC, and Fern Mallis, the creator and founder of New York Fashion Week and long-time Nashville Fashion Week advisor, shared their support through written statements. MAGIC Fashion Events also made a significant monetary contribution to support the vision of moving Nashville fashion forward. The gathering was a pivotal moment for the future of Nashville Fashion Week and for Nashville's fashion industry. Followup meetings and planning are in the works. The Nashville Fashion Week email list will receive updates as progress ensues.

View photos from the Meeting HERE.

The conversation was continued at an in-person fundraising event and live stream recording of Moving Fashion Forward - A Conversation with NFW + CFDA featuring CFDA President, CaSandra Diggs and NFW Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Marcia Masulla on Thursday, May 5. The interactive and engaging program included a dynamic customized Nashville Fashion Week branded set with high-level professional production presented in partnership with Go West Creative. Guests also enjoyed savory bites from The Pink Hermit of The Hermitage Hotel and refreshments from Tito's Handmade Vodka and Love & Exile Wines while they mingled prior to the recorded conversation.

Screen the conversation from your laptop or mobile device at NashvilleFashionWeek.com.

View photos from the Conversation HERE.

Thank you for your continued support and feedback as we plan to make an impact for the future of fashion in Nashville together. Stay tuned! #WHYNFW

How Can NFW Best Serve The Middle Tennessee Fashion Community?

Nashville Fashion Week was conceived in 2010 to foster Nashville's heralded community spirit and concentration of creative, fashion-forward and entrepreneurial talent, to create a one-of-a-kind five day event that is uniquely Nashville. Since then, the world and our city have changed. The fashion industry has changed. And we have changed. Rather than moving forward with "business as usual" with our schedule of events in April, we are working to determine and restructure what will best serve our fashion community now and in the future.

Over the past twelve years, Nashville Fashion Week has:

• Supported 180 Designers

• Awarded Nine Nashville Fashion Forward Fund Recipients

• Booked close to 700 Models

• Showcased over 60 Unique Locations

• Hosted nearly 430 Retail Events

• Scheduled timely Learning Labs and Other Educational Opportunities

• Become a Member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America CFDA Connects

• And Invested over $1.3 million in our Fashion Community

LET'S BE CLEAR: We aren't going anywhere. We are evolving Nashville Fashion Week's scope of work with a renewed focus that best supports the future of Nashville fashion.

Your feedback is invaluable. Please take 5 minutes to click and complete the survey above by Tuesday, March 8 to insure that your voice is heard. We appreciate your support and insight as we rethink and navigate this new phase of our Nashville fashion community together. Thank you!

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NOW ACCEPTING:
NASHVILLE FASHION FORWARD FUND 2022 APPLICATIONS THROUGH APRIL 8

All Fashion Professionals With Ties To Middle Tennessee Are Encouraged To Apply For This Award.

Designers, Photographers, Stylists, Models, Hair and Makeup Artists, Retailers, Content Creators
and MORE!

Nashville Fashion Week invites you to submit your application for the 2022 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund award to The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee now through April 8. Established in 2011, the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee is an endowed fund that supports the next generation of fashion industry professionals with ties to Middle Tennessee by providing a financial reward and resources for experiential professional development opportunities each year with proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week. ALL fashion industry professionals with ties to Middle Tennesse are encouraged to apply.

Previous recipients include small batch manufacturer Megan Prange; fashion photographer Brett Warren; accessory designer Ceri Hoover, content creator Elise Joseph; and apparel designers Van Hoang, Maria Silver, Eric Bornhop, Lauren Leonard Phelps and Julianna Bass.

Detailed instructions for application submission can be found at NashvilleFashionWeek.com. Applications must arrive at The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee's office at 3833 Cleghorn Avenue by 4:30 p.m. CST on Friday, April 8, 2022. The 2022 recipient will be announced early summer.

Award recipients are selected by a committee of the Community Foundation board based on pre-established criteria inspired by the CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund to advance the career of select local talent with demonstrated experience in a fashion-related field. 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. #whyNFW

Digital Designer Runway Collections Are Now Live!

Today is the day everyone has been waiting for.

The Nashville Fashion Week 2021 designer portfolios and runway show videos are NOW LIVE on the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Runway360 global platform! This is our first foray into producing an extensive digital program, but we can't wait for you to experience what these talented designers have been creating. Much gratitude to Middle Tennessee State University, our video production partner, for all of the hard work and dedication they poured into executing this programming.

You can view all of the designer runway shows, view their lookbooks and even shop their looks for FREE, but we encourage you to please consider making $20, or more if you can, a tax-deductible donation to the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to help underwrite the production costs to create this digital programming and support our Nashville fashion community for years to come.

The future of Nashville Fashion Week depends on it.

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We had a remarkable evening celebrating year eleven of Nashville Fashion Week with our VIP guests at The Westin Nashville and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum! The winner of the NFW + Country Music Hall of Fame Suiting The Sound Design Competition was announced at our Suiting the Sound: The Rodeo Tailors Who Made Country Stars Shine Brighter event.

Congratulations to all of the finalists. - Braylee Flaska, Any Old Iron and Wear It Out by by Manny.

The designer with the most votes is...Manny Cuevas, President & Designer of Wear It Out by Manny. Thank you for voting!

Couldn't join us in-peson last night? You can watch the full Suiting the Sound: The Rodeo Tailors Who Made Country Stars Shine Brighter Panel Discussion HERE from the comfort of your home or mobile device and at your convenience.

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DAY THREE | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14

ONLY 10 TICKETS ARE LEFT!

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

Only a few more tickets remain for this interactive panel discussion which 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.

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SHOP NASHVILLE THIS SATURDAY!

Nashville Fashion Week has hosted Shop Nashville, a city-wide celebration designed to encourage and support the Nashville retail community with creative and interactive ways to support our Nashville businesses, since our inception in 2011. While our runway format puts the focus on apparel creators, for this year we have created an opportunity for Middle Tennessee’s creative maker and retail community as well. Seven NFW designers and a diverse selection of twenty-five fashion-related vendors will showcase their brands at the first Shop Nashville Pop Up Market presented by oneC1TY on Saturday, October 16 from 12 - 4 p.m. 10% of all vendor sales will be donated to the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to show their support for our local fashion community.

Enjoy the outdoor shopping experience with refreshments provided by Tito's Handmade Vodka and Blade and Bow from Kindred Bar Catering while enjoying the tunes of DJ Maggie Wells. Please register for this event at the link above so that we can plan our refreshments accordingly. 

Join the Conversation...

JOIN THE CONVERSATION
AT THE INTERSECTION OF SOUND + STYLE

AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC

The Intersection of Sound + Style: A Conversation + Museum Tour
Friday, October 15, 6pm - 8:30pm
National Museum of African American Music 
510 Broadway
Ticket $35 (limited availability)

Please join us this Friday, October 15 for The Intersection of Sound + Style: A Conversation + Museum Tour presented by the National Museum of African American Music. NMAAM's mission is to educate the world, preserve the legacy, and celebrate the central role African Americans play in creating the American soundtrack. This special engagement with Nashville Fashion Week will also highlight the central role of how these artists and musicians have and will continue to lead the way with their impact on style and fashion trends. Nashville Fashion Week has enlisted Charles Brown and Bentley Caldwell as style ambassadors for the event. Enjoy a cocktail reception, an interactive tour of the museum and engaging conversation that will be moderated by the NMAAM's Senior Director of Education and Exhibition, Tamar Smithers. Panelists include these two stylish Nashville entrepreneurs and the NMAAM's curator Dr. Steven Lewis. Join the conversation on how the prominent influence of black culture and music impacts both style and the fashion industry.

Charles Brown is a Nashville native and founder of Charles Lord, a design and consulting firm founded in 2005 specializing in custom apparel & accessories, hand-made, sustainable fashion good, fashion, interior and event styling. Charles has worked and volunteered in the local LGBTQI community for over twelve years with Brothers and Sisters United Network, Nashville Black Pride, Vanderbilt HIV Vaccine Trials Network, and MyHouse Nashville.

Retail brought Bentley Caldwell to Nashville, and since that time, he’s been both a singer-songwriter and model traveling the world before combining all he learned to found Bentley Caldwell Styling. When a friend asked for advice on how to dress for a photo shoot, the bells went off. Now, he works exclusively with men and helps them uncover their personal style, take the guesswork out of shopping and access the confidence to elevate their lives and businesses to the next level.

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Nashville Fashion Week needs your financial support and encouragement to continue doing what we do year after year. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation of $20, or more if you can, to further the mission of the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund. Every dollar you give will make a difference within our community for years to come. This is #whynfw!

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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. The last day to receive the second shot of Moderna or Pfizer or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson prior to the October events is September 27. For anyone that 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 at all times at indoor events. 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 12+ 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.