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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NFW Digital "Fashion Talks" & Learning Labs

Please join us August 4 - 8 for the Nashville Fashion Week Digital Experience. Nashville Fashion Week Fashion Talks and Learning Labs are educational opportunities that provide a platform to engage, learn and connect experientially within the Nashville community. Each attendee that signs in to any of these digital events will be entered into a drawing for two All Access Passes ($800 value) to NFW 2021! 

FREE tickets for Fashion Talks and all three Learning Labs are NOW available at NashvilleFashionWeek.com. We also encourage you to please consider making a donation to the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to help support our Nashville fashion community.

DIGITAL "FASHION TALKS": DIVERSITY + INCLUSION

MODERATED BY FERN MALLIS WITH TANYA TAYLOR, TIMO WEILAND, PETER SOM, KIMBERLY LEWIS AND BARRY GRIDER

TUESDAY, August 4 | 12:00 p.m. CST

Admission: FREE with ticket reservation

This engaging conversation will be moderated by Fern Mallis, the award-winning creator of New York Fashion Week. A panel of industry leaders - Tanya Taylor, Timo Weiland and Peter Som with Kimberly Lewis, owner of Emerson Grace and Nordstrom Nashville's Chanel Ready-to-Wear Brand Ambassador, Barry Grider - will share their insight on this vital shift in the fashion industry and beyond.

Fern Mallis has been called an industry titan, doyenne, and The Godmother of Fashion. As the creator and host of premiere conversation series Fashion Icons w/Fern Mallis at New York’s prestigious 92nd Street Y, Mallis assembled an incredible roster of guests for her now signature in-depth interviews, including Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, André Leon Talley, Bruce Weber, Bill Cunningham, Valentino, Victoria Beckham, Rosita and Angela Missoni, Alexander Wang, Russell Westbrook, Bob Mackie, and Billy Porter; to name just a few. Her book, published by Rizzoli, Fashion Lives: Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis, is a must read of her first 19 interviews. Stay tuned for Volume 2 coming hopefully in 2021. 

Mallis also created and hosted her own radio show, Fashion Insiders w/Fern Mallis on Sirius XM, During which time she interviewed over 400 industry personalities, celebrities, and professionals. In January 2012, she made her theatre stage debut in the Off-Broadway production of Nora & Delia Ephron’s Love, Loss, and What I Wore. Mallis also created her own globally inspired FERN FINDS: jewelry, clothing and accessories line for QVC and HSN.

Tanya Taylor started her namesake label in 2012 with the mission to inspire all women to live in color. By celebrating individuality, the brand aims to create a community where every woman feels included. Through the artful use of color, texture and original hand-painted prints each Tanya Taylor collection is designed to bring confidence and high-energy happiness into a woman’s daily life. The collections are sold at retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. 

The brand has been worn by a diverse range of inspirational women such as Former First Lady Michelle Obama, Tracee Ellis Ross, Awkwafina, Jennifer Garner, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Kristen Wiig and Aidy Bryant. Tanya Taylor is an inclusive brand defined by a point of view and is proud to offer styles in sizes 0-22. 

Timo Weiland is an award-winning Creative Director, serial entrepreneur and DJ based in New York City. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska and raised between Florida and New York. After graduating from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, he worked for several years as an investment banking analyst at Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. covering Media & Technology before launching his first startup. Since 2010, Timo has successfully built a namesake lifestyle brand, as well as businesses across food & beverage, design, media, B2B intelligence, real estate, technology, and venture capital.

Born in San Francisco, Peter Som launched his award-winning eponymous collection in 2000. Known for his signature clean-lined yet feminine designs, his clothing has been worn by such notable women as Michelle Obama, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Beyonce and Scarlett Johannson. His clothes have sold worldwide at top retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, and he has had highly successful collaborations with Kohl’s and Anthropologie. His signature, bold and colorful patterns has inspired a furniture and tabletop collection with The Inside. Peter is also widely known for his love of entertaining and food. His recipes have been featured in numerous publications and digital platforms including Vogue.com, Elle.com, Bon Appetit, Refinery29, Food and Wine and  FeedFeed, where he is a contributor. Peter lives in New York City where he can often be found in the kitchen covered in flour.  

Kimberly Lewis, owner of the Nashville women's boutique Emerson Grace, was born and raised in Hawaii.  She started her fashion career in Southern California. She built an impressive resume as an executive in the fashion industry working in both retail and wholesale for top companies including Ralph Lauren and BCBGMAXAZRIA, where she launched the company's initial retail efforts, growing the chain from zero to100 stores. Her expertly curated selection of merchandise at Emerson Grace encourages women to dress with style and ease for every occasion. She continually works to refine Emerson Grace's vision and carve out its place in the fashion landscape with its “elevated casual” aesthetic. She uses her many years of experience to provide women with a realistic and effortless approach to dressing. This understanding of what women wear is emulated through the store's edited mix of brands and price points. Kimberly lives in Nashville with her husband and daughter.

As the Chanel Ready-To-Wear Ambassador at Nordstrom Green Hills, Barry Grider has grown his career in luxury through decades of service to his hometown of Nashville. He is often recognized for his exceptional selling abilities and service provided to clients, but it is the deep relationships he has created over a lifetime of retail that are most meaningful to him. In his career, Barry has experienced incredible opportunities with Nordstrom and the Chanel brand including buying trips to Paris, exclusive visits to the Chanel archives and Metiers d’art, and most recently opening Nordstrom’s New York flagship store. While Barry’s accomplishments at work give him much to be proud of, he values the time spent with family and close friends most of all. Outside of work, Barry is often traveling, enjoying new dining experiences, dancing, snow skiing, roller skating, or indulging in Netflix.

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DIGITAL LEARNING LAB: SUFFRAGE: THE STYLE OF A SOCIAL MOVEMENT

Presented in partnership with The Tennessee State Museum

WEDNESDAY, August 5 | 12:00 p.m. CST

Admission: FREE with ticket reservation

Join the Tennessee State Museum, in collaboration with Nashville Fashion Week’s 10th Anniversary, for a special online presentation and virtual tour of the women’s suffrage exhibition, Ratified! Tennessee Women and the Right to Vote. This FREE event will include a discussion with Amanda Smith, Tennessee State Museum curator of Fashion and Textiles.

Throughout history, clothing and fashion were always, and continue to be, a powerful form of expression. What we wear can define us, inspire us, and say to others that we are individuals empowered with confidence. Learn more about the statement the suffragists were making with the clothing and colors they wore as they marched in parades for women’s voting rights. The Museum’s exhibition, Ratified! Tennessee Women and the Right to Vote, uses artifacts, documents, large-scale graphics, videos, and interactive elements to share the stories of the Tennesseans who came to have decisive roles in American women’s struggle to gain voting rights.

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DIGITAL LEARNING LAB: SUSTAINABILITY, MANUFACTURING AND THE FUTURE OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY

Presented by OnPoint Manufacturing with Author Mary Gehlhar of The Fashion Designer Survival Guide and Daniella Platt, Brand Strategist

THURSDAY, August 6 | 4 p.m. CST

Admission: FREE with ticket reservation

David Prentice, Senior Vice President of Sales for OnPoint Manufacturing, Mary Gehlhar, author of The Fashion Designer Survival Guide and Daniella Platt, Brand Strategist and author of Looking Good: Ten Commandments To Be A Sales Rockstar and Fashion Startup Playbook will lead a spirited and insightful conversation on the current state of the apparel industry, what sustainable practices can look like and how designers and brands can see success sooner thanks to new technologies. 

David brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to OnPoint's on-demand manufacturing model having been head of sales at Lightning Source, a company that specializes in print-on-demand book manufacturing. With a strong background in all aspects of the world of digital printing and distribution, David’s unique talents and experience gave him the ability to easily transition similar methodologies from books to apparel. During his time at OnPoint, David has single-handedly helped hundreds of designers, brands and companies looking for a better manufacturing solution.  

Mary Gehlhar is a writer, curator and consultant with expertise in fashion design entrepreneurship. She is the author of The Fashion Designer Survival Guide a best-selling business book that walks designers through the diverse challenges of establishing and growing their own brands. Mary served for 10 years as Fashion Director of Gen Art, introducing hundreds of emerging designers to the fashion industry and press through New York Fashion Week runway debuts. Mary consulted on show development and led the selection process for the first four seasons of the hit show Project Runway. She is an industry resource for prestigious media outlets, including the New York Times, and British Vogue. She has been an adjunct professor at the Parsons New School for Design and participates on multiple selection committees at fashion colleges, organizations including Fashion Group International, and incubators and grants such as the Woolite Fashion Grant. 

Cheerleader to all, Daniella Platt is a Concept-To-Market Strategist, who works with individuals to open doors to success and turn an idea into profit. Her signature program is the Ten Commandments To Be A Sales Rockstar & Fashion Startup Playbook. In fact, she just debuted the book on it called Looking Good. Through her consultancy, Looking Good YAYA!, Daniella offers conceptual marketing ideas and puts strategies into action. Like a primary doctor, LGY leverages the consultancy's relationships with "specialists" to give brands visibility and an edge. Daniella works with emerging and established brands, and artists, teaching creatives how to sell and guiding brands to bring their idea from concept-to-life. 

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DIGITAL LEARNING LAB: FASHION LAW FOR YOUR FASHION BUSINESS

Presented by Ritholz Levy Fields

FRIDAY, August 7 | 12:30 p.m. CST

Admission: FREE with ticket reservation

Peter Fields and Jenna Harris of the law firm Ritholz Levy Fields LLP will address corporate, commercial and intellectual property law issues faced by emerging and established fashion and apparel businesses, including corporate formations and corporate governance, raising money from investors, choosing and protecting a brand name in the U.S. and abroad, creating protectable designs, tips for battling fraud on digital platforms and preventing ad misplacement, hiring employees and independent contractors, and product sales, distribution and licensing transactions. RLF is a dynamic and fast-growing law firm (with offices in Nashville, New York, Los Angeles and Miami) representing clients in media, entertainment, fashion, technology and general “brand-based” businesses across  a wide variety of corporate, commercial and intellectual property law disciplines. With decades of experience as lawyers (and, in some cases, former executives in these fields), the firm brings an insider’s perspective and a sophisticated approach to provide cost-effective and business-centric solutions for its clients. The firm has a key focus in helping its clients fund and launch new businesses, grow them and take them through public and private liquidity events, especially clients that leverage creative works such as fashion and apparel companies. 

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Purchase A "We Are Nashville Fashion" T-shirt 
To Support The Masks Now Coalition of Tennessee

Our limited edition "We Are Nashville Fashion" t-shirts are now on sale for $35 by 85 Supply. 100% of sale proceeds from these shirts will be donated to purchase protective masks from OnPoint Manufacturing to distribute where they are needed most by The Masks Now Coalition of Tennessee.

The mission of MasksNOW TN is to enable everyone to wear a face mask to save lives. Wearing a face mask is a way of protecting each other and caring for one’s community.  MasksNOW TN works to ensure every person and service organization has access to face masks. Through their core values of service, collaboration, community, integrity, and empathy, they have organized to match volunteer sewists to ongoing needs in our communities, to match donations of materials to volunteer sewists, and to match volunteers with distributing face masks to those in need and ensure that their face masks are provided as a free donation to those in need. MasksNow TN is working towards normalizing mask wearing through partnerships and outreach in our communities and education. MasksNow TN is a proud member of the MasksNOW Coalition. 

“We at MasksNOW Tennessee are so excited to partner with Nashville Fashion Week as we work together to provide more face masks for all Tennesseans. The Nashville fashion community is a special group, and we are all in this together!” - Brenda Gadd, MasksNOW Tennessee

NFW Digital Experience Schedule

Five Days of Fashion. 
Nineteen Designers. Shop Nashville. 
Fashion Talks. Three Digital Learning Labs.

The Nashville Fashion Week Digital Experience will take place Tuesday, August 4 through Saturday, August 8 when NFW 2020 will go virtual with five days of interactive digital programming. We will present four digital adaptations of programming originally planned for April, as well as support and showcase participating designers and Shop Nashville retailers in a meaningful, impactful and memorable way. Here are the first details of our August schedule that attendees may participate in from the comfort and safety of their homes during this unprecedented time. Complimentary tickets will be available to reserve for each of the scheduled online events starting July 20 at NashvilleFashionWeek.com.

Nashville Fashion Week was conceived in 2010 to foster Nashville’s heralded community spirit and concentration of creative, fashion-forward and entrepreneurial talent. Nashville Fashion Week will look different this August, but we remain more committed than ever to our community. NWF will always be first and foremost about people. Our fashion community needs connection and our support more than ever. 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. The Community Foundation selects a recipient each year from a group of talented applicants. Experienced designers as well as professionals in all aspects of the fashion industry from photographers to stylists, models, hair and makeup artists, retailers and content creators are encouraged to apply each fall for this award to further their career in the fashion industry. Due to our live events being postponed to 2021, NFW will also postpone our Nashville Fashion Forward Fund application process until next year as well. This year, NFW has granted each of our nineteen participating designers a $500 gift to help them transition during this challenging time. This is #whynfw!

Eleven of the designers selected to show their collections during NFW 2020 are NFW alumni and eight are new to the NFW family. Nashville Fashion Week offers designers an invaluable opportunity to market and present their collection at a professionally produced fashion show at no cost to them other than the cost to create their collection. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we were unable to offer them a platform to showcase their collections on the runway this year. Our digital schedule will feature each designer during scheduled slots on NFW's social media channels. This is an opportunity for them to share their vision, work and studio space with you by using their own voices. Please check out all the 2020 designer bios HERE.

The NFW Digital Experience Tickets will be FREE.
Please consider making a donation to The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund and/or purchasing a "We Are Nashville Fashion" T-shirt to support 
The Masks Now Coalition of Tennessee.

Our limited edition "We Are Nashville Fashion" t-shirts will be pre-sold starting July 20 by 85 Supply . Sale proceeds from these shirts will purchase protective masks from OnPoint Manufacturing to be distributed where they are needed most by The Masks Now Coalition of Tennessee.

Shop Nashville is a city-wide celebration we designed to encourage and support the local retail and maker community with creative and interactive ways to drive consumers to Nashville businesses. Some participating retailers will create and host their own physically distanced in-store events, while others will offer promotions or website-based events. Detailed event descriptions for each participating retailer will be announced soon. Each Shop Nashville participant has made a donation to the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Please plan now to shop and support these special events August 4-8.

Nashville Fashion Week Learning Labs are educational opportunities that provide a platform to engage, learn and connect experientially within the Nashville community. We will kick off The NFW Digital Experience with Digital "Fashion Talks" moderated by Fern Mallis with Tanya Taylor, Timo Weiland, Peter Som, Kimberly Lewis and Barry Grider on Tuesday, August 4; followed by three digital Learning Labs: "In Dialogue: Suffrage, Style and Social Movements" with The Tennessee State Museum on Wednesday, August 5; OnPoint Manufacturing will present "Sustainability, Manufacturing and the Future of the Fashion Industry" with author Mary Gehlhar of The Fashion Designer Survival Guide and strategist Daniella Platt on Thursday, August 6; and Ritholz Levy Fields will present "Fashion Law For Your Fashion Business" on Friday, August 7.  Everyone that signs in to any of these digital events on Zoom will be entered into a drawing for two FREE All Access Passes to NFW 2021.

Nashville Fashion Week will also announce the winner of the AMAX + NFW Model Search 2020 on Saturday, August 8. For the first time in its nine year history, our Model Search was open to aspiring models of all ages and sizes. We look forward to seeing these new faces on the runway next year.

August 4-8 is going to be a very full week! We are forever grateful for the support and encouragement we have received throughout this year. We encourage you to continue to support the people behind the brands and businesses that have moved Nashville fashion-forward. 

We Are Nashville Fashion. We are Nashville Strong.

❤️ 
Team NFW