WHEREAS, Nashville is a city that recognizes and supports great style, design, and fashion and Nashville Fashion Week has been a vital, natural progression of our creative and entrepreneurial spirit over the last decade; and

WHEREAS, as important as national brands increasingly look to Nashville as a place to locate, local businesses, entrepreneurs and institutions are garnering national media attention, Nashville Fashion Week's nearly 28,000 in attendance, 180 designer presentations, 422 retail and commerce events and over $1.3 million dollars of investment in Nashville's fashion community to date have led the way to build industry recognition and emerging fashion industry ecosystem for Nashville.

WHEREAS, Net proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week, have directly been invested into the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and been awarded annually to promote the careers of fashion talent with demonstrated experience in a fashion-related field. 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. Experienced designers, as well as professionals in all aspects of the fashion industry from photographers to stylists, models, hair and makeup artists, boutique owners, and content creators, are encouraged to apply each fall for this award to further their career in the fashion industry.

WHEREAS, Nashville Fashion Week was selected in 2021 by the Council of Fashion Designers (CFDA) 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.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, John Cooper, Mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, do hereby recognize the eleven years of Nashville Fashion Week's tremendous dedication to both the fashion community and industry and proclaim Nashville Fashion Week Day as April 4, 2022, as they are committed to another decade of service and leadership to our community.