Megan Prange to Present NFW Learning Lab

NASHVILLE FASHION FORWARD RECIPIENT MEGAN PRANGE TO PRESENT NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK 2021 LEARNING LAB

MAKE + INNOVATE: A FASHION MANUFACTURING OPEN HOUSE 
AND TOUR AT PRANGE APPAREL

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 first of three FREE Learning Labs for 2021. We will launch our Learning Lab series with "Make + Innovate: A Fashion Manufacturing Open House and Tour" on Wednesday, October 13 at Prange Apparel.

MAKE + INNOVATE: A FASHION MANUFACTURING OPEN HOUSE AND TOUR 
Presented by Prange Apparel

Wednesday, October 13 | 4-5 p.m. and 5-6 p.m. 

Location: Prange Apparel
2545 Lebanon Pike, Nashville, TN 37214

Admission: FREE ticket with registration
Each registered guest will receive a NFW x Prange Apparel goody bag

From designers and students to curious fashion lovers, we invite anyone and everyone who are interested to attend this interactive open house and tour to gain insight into the process and innovation of how fashion is made. The 2019 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient, Megan Prange of Prange Apparel will share the step-by-step process of how garments are manufactured right here in Nashville, Tennessee. From the initial consultation to development of tech packs and the creation of muslin samples to shipping the final product, this event will give a guided tour of the business of fashion while also offering an opportunity to have your questions answered while enjoying a tour of a facility where fashion is at work!

Two timed sessions are available to choose from beginning at 4 and again at 5 p.m. Registration is FREE and includes a NFW x Prange Apparel goody bag. Refreshments will be served featuring Tito's Handmade Vodka and Blade & Bow Bourbon.

"Prange Apparel has come full circle with our connection with NFW. From supporting as an attendee from the first shows over a decade ago to being honored as the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient in 2019 and now expanding my business to not only become a sponsor and event host of NFW, but to also launch our sister company, Innovate by Prange Apparel. This new program offers designers a complete range of product development services, including tech pack creation, pattern making, grading, and sample development." - Megan Prange, Prange Apparel

Megan Prange started Prange Apparel eight years ago in response to the demand from independent designers and boutique owners for small batch production. At the time, Megan was doing freelance pattern and sample work for local designers when she noticed the struggle they were having scaling their businesses. They couldn’t keep up with the demand by sewing everything themselves.

Prange decided to go out on a limb and open a small batch manufacturing business. She started off with just three home sewing machines and a few interns. Eight years later, Megan now has a full-scale business that employs twenty-five full time employees, has over 30 industrial machines and a client base that spans from coast to coast.  

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.

Previous Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipients include apparel designers Van Hoang, Maria Silver, Eric Bornhop, Julianna Bass and Lauren Leonard Phelps; 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. Applications for the 2021 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund will be announced in late October.

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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. 

NFW + National Museum of African American Music

JOIN NFW FOR 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)

Join us on 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. 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 about the prominent influence of black culture and music on the fashion industry with the NMAAM’s curator Dr. Steven Lewis and these two stylish Nashville men, moderated by the NMAAM's Senior Director of Education and Exhibition, Tamar Smithers.

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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Just eighteen VIP Passes remain on sale at NashvilleFashionWeek.com. These exclusive passes offer a limited number of guests a unique NFW experience. Through strategic partnerships and collaborations with both local and global industry leaders, Nashville Fashion Week has planned safe and engaging ways to experience and support Nashville fashion October 12 - 16. The full schedule of fall events will be announced soon with individual tickets, including many that are free. All NFW ticket sales are a donation to support the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and are non-refundable.

Nashville Fashion Week VIP Passes include admission to the National Museum of African American Music event; as well as a special "How Fashion Is Made" VIP Tour at Prange Apparel; access to the NFW VIP Cocktail Mixer presented by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce; and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's Suiting The Sound: The Rodeo Tailors Who Made Country Stars Shine Brighter panel event and taping. As a stylish and functional token to commemorate NFW 2021, VIP Pass holders will also receive a stylish face mask designed by local designer Andrew Clancey of Any Old Iron. This pass ensures that you will be a part of a full interactive experience designed to connect with our Nashville fashion community.

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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.

NFW + Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Announce Suiting the South Design Competition

NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK + COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM ANNOUNCE SUITING THE SOUND DESIGN COMPETITION

Nashville Fashion Week is designed to showcase the local fashion community by providing a platform to engage, learn and connect. Nashville Fashion Week has been pushing boundaries and exploring options since we launched in 2011, but NFW IMAGINE 2021 has given us the freedom to try new things as we explore the future of Nashville fashion during a pandemic. This design competition is just one of many collaborations we have planned for October 12 - 16.

Nashville Fashion Week is excited to partner with our friends at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to give Middle Tennessee designers an opportunity to submit their personal interpretation of country music stage wear inspired by the museum's current Suiting The Sound: The Rodeo Tailor Who Made Country Stars Shine Brighter exhibit. 

Drawing from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s exhibit galleries and extensive collection of stage costumes and archival materials, Suiting the Sound: The Rodeo Tailors Who Made Country Stars Shine Brighter—an exhibition curated exclusively for online audiences and free to access HERE —examines the dazzling artistry of Western-wear designers whose couture fashions helped to create an indelible image for country music. 

Applications must be received by Sunday, September 12. Up to ten finalists will be selected based on the quality, creativity, and orginality of a single design submission - sketch or finished piece - inspired by the museum's Suiting the Sound exhibit. Finalist's submissions will be included in a competition that invites the public to vote for their favorite design. The designers with the most votes will have the opportunity to showcase their finished design at a special NFW + Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum event on Tuesday, October 12 as part of Nashville Fashion Week 2021. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to enter the competition or vote on your favorite designs!

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APPLY NOW! WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING VOLUNTEER
& OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER APPLICATIONS

Click the images below for detailed information

NFW to Present 15 Middle Tennessee Designers Through New CFDA Connects Program

NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK 2021 TO PRESENT FIFTEEN MIDDLE TENNESSEE DESIGNERS THROUGH NEW CFDA CONNECTS PROGRAM

Over the last eighteen months, we've been reminded about what truly matters and have been heartened by moments in everyday acts of humanity and resilience. Unfortunately, COVID-19 still has ongoing effects in our community and beyond, so we have yet again reimagined how to best serve our fashion community during these challenging times.

NOW IS THE TIME TO IMAGINE. WILL YOU JOIN US?

Since our inception in 2011, Nashville Fashion Week has been hosted in the spring, but this fall an updated version will take place October 12 -16. Our fall lineup is designed to safely explore, test and shape the future of Nashville fashion in a meaningful way through strategic partnerships and collaborations with both local and global industry leaders. We look forward to connecting with our community again for a diverse schedule of digital and live programming that is designed to showcase and inspire our fashion community. 

Nashville Fashion Week is thrilled to share more details about our new membership with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Nashville Fashion Week was selected as one of twelve regional organizations nationwide that were invited to join and benefit from the new CFDA Connects initiative. CFDA Connects is a programming network in support of regional fashion weeks and organizations through promotion, business support, resources and member privileges. The CFDA infrastructure centers around programming, education and webinars and will work closely with NFW to help develop and provide opportunities to designers from Middle Tennessee.The Connects membership access exists to influentially amplify our NFW mission, expand our reach, increase awareness, and strengthen our city's connection to the pulse of business, commerce, media and trade in the American fashion industry and globally.

"CFDA Connects was created to skill share and connect domestic markets and global fashion industries through CFDA resources including professional and business development and education, trade events, supply chain and local manufacturing, social impact and sustainability" said Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA. “ As a part of CFDA Connects, Nashville Fashion Week designers will tap into the worldwide reach of RUNWAY360 to connect directly with tens of thousands of journalists, retailers, influencers and consumers through this game changing platform."

Designers who previously applied and were selected to present their collections at NFW 2020 were invited to participate in NFW 2021. Fifteen Middle Tennessee designers now have the opportunity to participate in an innovative way as they present their collections and brands to a global audience.

Each designer will present their brands and looks on the CFDA’s Runway360 digital programming platform. This access will include streaming their runway presentations, lookbook and e-commerce capabilities. The runway presentations will be professionally filmed in advance at OZ Arts Nashville by Middle Tennessee State University’s Marketing and Communications team with production design by Bright Events Productions. Nashville Fashion Week would not be able to produce these events and activate programming without these vital partners.

The following designers are participating in NFW 2021. Designer bios can be previewed HERE. 

• Amanda Valentine

• Any Old Iron

• Article X

• Black by Maria Silver

• Eileen Kelly

• Emily Phillips

• Erica Knicely

• H. Lane Design

• Ken Drama

• Laura Citron

• Lily Guilder Design

• Ola Mai

• Rank & Sugar

• The Morgan Factory

• Truly Alvarenga

The full schedule of fall events and detailed ticketing information will be announced over the next few weeks. A limited number of VIP Passes will go on sale next week. All proceeds benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Applications for volunteers, photographers and Shop Nashville vendors are now being accepted under the APPLICATION link at NashvilleFashionWeek.com. 

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 our October events is September 27th. For anyone that is not fully vaccinated, a negative COVID-19 test result must be obtained within 72 hours of attending any event. NFW requires that anyone unvaccinated must wear a mask 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 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. 

Nashville Fashion Week is a city-wide celebration of Nashville’s thriving fashion and retail community and its vast array of creative talent. Featuring local, regional and national designers and industry professionals in an array of creative events throughout the week encourages both Nashvillians and visitors to explore the city’s diverse fashion and retail spaces throughout theweek with promotions, partnerships and educational workshops. NFW is founded and directed by a collaboration of fashion, retail and media professionals who have combined their passion and resources to create a completely volunteer-led and run event spotlighting Nashville's growing fashion community with a sustainable focus for philanthropic support of the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. For detailed information, please visit NashvilleFashionWeek.com.

Thank You!

We did it! Everything about Nashville Fashion Week 2020 was different, but despite a tornado, a global pandemic, ongoing social injustices and many other obstacles, we were able to offer Fashion Talks, three Learning Labs, showcase and support nineteen local designers and feature Shop Nashville events and promotions over five days through digital programming and social media and you showed up. Over 724 people registered for our virtual Zoom events and we had 6,874 unique Instagram viewers with 132,160 impressions last week. We were also able to donate over 1,000 masks to Masks Now Tennessee and they will be distributed where they are needed the most in our community. Thank you for your support and continuing to grow with us. As fun as it all looked, it was a lot of work to pivot, but we will continue to shift with the times. We hope to see you back on the runway next year. There's nothing like celebrating together in person.

Special thanks to the Middle Tennessee State University Academic Marketing and Communications team for producing all four of our Zoom Learning Lab programs. Click HERE to view them all. Everyone that signed-in to these events were eligible to win All Access Passes to Nashville Fashion Week 2021 valued at $800. Congratulations to our lucky winner Zuwhan Gaston!

We encourage you to continue to shop our designers and support our Shop Nashville partners and sponsors. They need us now more than ever. Also, please consider making a donation to the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Every dollar will make a difference in our fashion community for years to come. This is #whynfw!

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