Are You The Next Nashville Fashion Forward Recipient?

ARE YOU THE NEXT NASHVILLE FASHION FORWARD RECIPIENT?

This month marks five years since Nashville Fashion Week was forced to make a hard pivot when a tornado devastated Nashville. Just a few weeks later, the world changed forever. So much has happened since then, but through it all, the Nashville fashion community continues to evolve. While our focus has shifted from producing the events you may have attended in the past, we remain committed to supporting our fashion community by continuing to build the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund to ensure its impact endures for years to come.

Some things never change!

We're preparing to launch our 12th Nashville Fashion Forward Fund application in a few weeks, so start thinking about what experience would help elevate both you and your business to where you want to go. 

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 to be our twelvth Nashville Fashion Forward Fund award winner.

Previous recipients include our most recent award winner Rhea Daniels, apparel designers Haley Maddox, Van Hoang, Maria Silver, Eric Bornhop, Lauren Leonard Phelps and Julianna Bass Brea; small batch apparel manufacturer Megan Prange; fashion photographer Brett Warren; accessory designer Ceri Hoover; and content creator Elise Joseph.

Dream big. You could be next! You won't know unless you apply.

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Step into a world where sneaker culture meets artistic expression at the Air Max Art Crawl on March 26, 2025 in downtown at The Arcade Nashville! For the 3rd Annual Air Max Day,  Melissa Watkins, creator of FabGlance, is elevating the experience in collaboration with Arcade Arts Nashville! This unique event brings together local artists, fashionistas, sneaker lovers, and creatives for an unforgettable celebration of style, culture, and community in a one-of-a-kind fusion of sneakers and street art. 

What to Expect

* Live art installations & sneaker-inspired exhibits

* Exclusive sneaker showcases & custom designs

* Music, fashion, and interactive experiences

* A curated space for creatives to connect

We are honored to have you consider the Nashville Fashion Foward Fund as the recipient of your next charitable event. Please complete the sponsorship form at NashvilleFashionWeek.com
to discuss potential partnership opportunties to financially support the Nashville fashion community through The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. We appeciate your continued support. 

Thank you! 

2ND ANNUAL NFW BLOGGER BRUNCH

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Brunch and network with your favorite local influencers at the second Nashville Fashion Week Blogger Brunch on February 24 from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. while enjoying an incredible view of downtown Nashville from L.A. Jackson at the Thompson Nashville. It's the perfect spot to make new friends, nibble brunch bites and plot your plans for Nashville Fashion Week.

Meet and shop the sneak peek Pop Up of designer | 2017 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient Black by Maria Silver's new collection before it hits the NFW runway in April.

Enjoy the Bloody Mary Bar from Tito's Handmade Vodka, a Braid and Beard Bar from Scouts Barbershop, the Nashville Smile Bar photo booth and a live feed from i106.7. Walk away with a bag full of goodies and a chance to win a prize from Regions Bank. 

A limited number of tickets are now on sale for $30. All proceeds benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Hosts:
Alicia Searcy | Spashionista
Ashley McClellan Houston | Nashville Wifestyles  
Brooke Webb | KB Styled 
Cara Valentine | In the Red
Emmanuel LeGrair | EJLeGrair 
Emily Bache & Abigail Breslin | The Wanderlust Girls
Jami-Lyn Fehr | Jamilyn.co 
Jasmine Sweet | Jasmine Sweet 
Melissa Watkins | Fabglance 
Polly Patel | FLIKISS 
Senni Alina and Olivia Rose | Alina & Rose

Two New Ways to Support Nashville Fashion Week

INTRODUCING THE FIRST NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK BLOGGER BRUNCH

Brunch with your favorite local influencers at the first Nashville Fashion Week Blogger Brunch on April 1 from 11 - 1 p.m. at City Winery (609 Lafayette Street). Twenty-four bloggers and influencers from Nashville's fashion and lifestyle communities will kick off NFW in style.

Nashville Fashion Week invites you to join event chair Caroline Acree of Caroline Margaret Studio and Nashville Wardrobe Project and the Blogger Brunch hosting committee at this new event. The host committee includes Alicia Boswell, Alex Ciaramitaro, Kathleen Clipper, Chloe Hall, Abby Demmer, D'Anelle Desire, Phillip Fryman, Jacob Matthews, Ashley McClellan Houston, Tiffany Mitchell, Moriah Murrell, Hunter Claire Rogers, Alicia Searcy, Hunter Schleicher, Anna Schowe, Alexis Teichmillen, Chad Vance, Melissa Watkins, Brooke Webb, Liz Whalen, Olivia Whalen, Kay Elle White and Morgan Wisted. The NFW Blogger Brunch is sponsored by O Bag Nashville.

"As a new locally-owned, small business, we're excited to have the opportunity to be a part of NFW and support the Fashion Forward Fund by sponsoring the Blogger Brunch.  We're proud of our little city evolving more and more each day towards one known for its arts and fashion.  In fact, we believe in our fashion forward city so much that we knew it was the perfect spot for our unique business where every customer has the opportunity to design and build their own handbag!" - Karen Malmquist, O Bag Nashville

The $20 ticket price includes event admission and a complimentary “NFW Survival Kit” gift bag. Survival kit sponsors include Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Cosmetic Market, Cardio Barre and more. A limited number of tickets are available. The ticket price does not include food or drink from City Winery, but the full brunch menu will be available for purchase.

"City Winery is thrilled to be a part of Nashville Fashion Week for another year in a row! This year's Blogger Brunch is the first of its kind for NFW, and we're proud to host this exciting networking event for some of Nashville's top entrepreneurs." - City Winery Nashville

All proceeds benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. 

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NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK LIMITED EDITION DESIGNER T-SHIRTS

Don’t miss out on these limited edition tees designed especially for you by three of our NFW designer alumni - Amanda Valentine, Ona Rex and Black by Maria Silver. Legacy Ink has generously agreed to donate proceeds from the sale of each t-shirt to benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund gives an annual award 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 will impact the Nashville fashion community for many years to come. Quantities are limited so when they’re gone, they’re gone. Purchase your t-shirt now for only $28 from Legacy Ink. 

“Legacy Ink chose to team up with NFW to give supporters of the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund a cool and unique way of showing support with featured designers while giving back. We also opted to work with the organization because we sincerely believe in giving talented individuals a platform to excel while helping the community and local fashion industry as a whole, said Troy Cheairs of Legacy Ink.

PURCHASE TICKETS

Nashville Fashion Week will be held April 4-8 at unique locations throughout the city. Runway and All Access Passes as well as tickets to all events are now available in a wide range of prices at NashvilleFashionWeek.com. All proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund is an endowed fund established to support the next generation of fashion industry professionals with ties to Middle Tennessee by providing a financial award and resources for experiential professional development opportunities.