2019 NFFF Recipient & 2020 Dates & Model Search

NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK ANNOUNCES
THE 2019 NASHVILLE FASHION FORWARD FUND RECIPIENT,
2020 DATES, THEME AND MODEL SEARCH LAUNCH DETAILS

WE ARE NASHVILLE FASHION!

Thank you to the enthusiastic and stylish crowd that joined us at Hutton Hotel for our 2020 Nashville Fashion Week Launch Party last night! We were excited to announce our 2019 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient with exciting preliminary plans for the 10th Anniversary of our city-wide celebration of Nashville's thriving fashion and retail community. It was fitting that we celebrated our ten year launch at Hutton Hotel since the location is where we initially launched NFW in 2011 and 2020 is also the hotel's 10th anniversary.

Nashville Fashion Week will take place March 31- April 4, 2020 in collaboration with our strategic partner OZ Arts Nashville for the third year in a row. The theme of the 10th Anniversary year is "We Are Nashville Fashion". A focus on diversity and inclusion will be the focus for the programming and planning ranging from the AMAX + NFW Model Search and Learning Labs to the runway shows. This theme will also be at the forefront in the upcoming visual campaign and communications that will showcase the diverse contributors from the community who have supported and promoted the growth of Nashville fashion over the past decade.

"Nashville Fashion Week and OZ Arts are both dedicated to shining light on the exceptional artists and creative professionals who call our city home. It's a very synergistic partnership that OZ is proud to be part of, and I look forward to watching the fashion industry's continued impact on our creative community." - Tim Ozgener, President & CEO, OZ Arts Nashville

Ginny Edwards Maxwell from AMAX Talent, also announced that the 2020 AMAX + NFW Model Search will be open for the first time in its nine year history to aspiring models of all ages and sizes in an effort to find the best of the best. Applications will be accepted from November 19 - December 31 at NashvilleFashionWeek.com.

"In the last few years, we have seen more clients requesting models in a greater range of sizes and ages. We are thrilled to be expanding the model search for 2020 in the hopes of finding potential stars to represent brands both locally and internationally. I am committed to doing whatever I can to help move the modeling industry forward in terms of diversity." - Ginny Edwards Maxwell, Director of Scouting & Development, AMAX Talent

Nashville Fashion Week was founded in 2010 as an all-volunteer led and run event spotlighting Nashville’s growing fashion community with a sustainable focus of philanthropic support of the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Nashville Fashion Week features local, regional and national designers and industry professionals in an array of creative events throughout the week to encourage both Nashvillians and visitors to explore the city’s diverse fashion and retail spaces through promotions, partnerships and educational workshops.

Nashville Fashion Week Co-Founders and Managing Partners, Connie Cathcart-Richardson and Marcia Masulla are eager to celebrate year ten with the Nashville creative community.

"Nashville Fashion Week and the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund have helped raise awareness of Nashville’s vast creative talent by showcasing close to 140 designers and hundreds of local businesses with an investment of over $1.3 million in the local fashion community over the past nine years," said Connie Cathcart-Richardson and Marcia Masulla. "We look forward to continuing to foster Nashville’s fashion-forward and entrepreneurial talent for many years to come with this volunteer led and run event.”

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MEET OUR NINTH ANNUAL 
NASHVILLE FASHION FORWARD FUND RECIPIENT 

We are proud to announce Megan Prange, owner and creator of Prange Apparel as our 2019 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient. A committee from The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee selected Prange from a diverse group of experienced fashion industry applicants based on specific criteria set by the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund co-founders.

"I am beyond thrilled to be this year’s Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient! I first learned about Nashville Fashion Week seven years ago and since then have been a huge believer in the amazing opportunities if offers to everyone who participates in it every year. I am honored to be a part of it and am incredibly grateful for the opportunity the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund will allow me." - Megan Prange, Owner & Creator, Prange Apparel

Megan Prange started Prange Apparel six 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.

She 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.

Six years later, Prange 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 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. Megan 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

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.

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THE CELEBRATION CONTINUES
ON SATURDAY AT DREAM NASHVILLE!

Hurry, Only 10 Seats Are Left...

Feast on fashion by supporting the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and three of our most recent Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipients on Saturday, November 16 at Dream Nashville! Make your reservation now for the Fashion Show Brunch at Stateside Kitchen featuring presentations with Fund recipients Eric Adler, Black by Maria Silver and Van Hoang. There will be one seating at noon where you may order lively libations and tasty offerings from Stateside's sumptuous brunch menu. The participating designers will also have items available to purchase at their pop-up shops in the Back Bar during the event. Your $10 ticket reserves your seat at brunch and one complimentary Absolut Juice signature cocktail. Seating is limited to 60 spots and are going fast! All ticket proceeds benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

NFW 2019 To Present Four Nights of Runway Shows at OZ Arts Nashville

Thanks to all that joined us for our Nashville Fashion Week 2019 Kickoff Party last night at Union Station Hotel! We were excited to announce the first details of our 2019 programming to a sold-out crowd and to hint at many more announcements to come. 

The ninth annual Nashville Fashion Week will take place Tuesday, April 2 through Saturday, April 6 in partnership with OZ Arts Nashville. Our second year at OZ Arts will feature an additional night of runway shows for a total of four full nights of fashion. For the first time, local designers will be spread throughout the week rather than being featured in one Nashville Designer Showcase. This is in direct response to our audience's growing interest and support of local designers. The week will conclude with the Fashion Forward Gala on Saturday night to celebrate the unique impact our seven award receipients have made on the Nashville fashion community.

“Our mission since day one has been to educate local and national audiences about Nashville’s growing fashion community and we are all experiencing the results,” said Nashville Fashion Week managing partners/co-founders Connie Cathcart-Richardson and Marcia Masulla. “Nashville Fashion Week and the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund have helped raise awareness of our creative talent by showcasing 173 designers and hundreds of local businesses with an investment of over $1 million in the local fashion community over the past eight years. We had to search for local designers early on that were ready to show and now we have enough experienced designers that our audience knows and supports to fill an entire week. It's our privilege to support Nashville’s fashion-forward and entrepreneurial talent with this volunteer led and run event. We could not continue to do this year after year without the financial support of our ticket holders and dedicated sponsors.”

Forty-five 2019 Nashville Fashion Week sponsors were acknowledged at the Kickoff Party, six of which have been supporters since 2011 and another eight for a minimum of five years. Nashville Fashion Week is fully funded with the support of our sponsors and ticket holders. Please support all of our sponsors listed HERE. 

More details on the Influencer Brunch, Men's Style Event, Learning Labs, Shop Nashville and other special events leading up to and during Nashville Fashion Week will be announced over the next month.

TWENTY 2019 DESIGNERS ANNOUNCED

Twenty designers will have the opportunity to showcase their collections at Nashville Fashion Week 2019. Please check out our participating designer bios HERE.

Tuesday, April 3 

• A Lady of the Lake (Nashville, TN)

• Ola Mai (Nashville, TN)

• Shea Steele (Brooklyn, NY)

• Splashed by DKG (Birmingham, AL)

• Van Hoang (Nashville, TN)

Wednesday, April 3

• Lily Guilder (Nashville, TN)

• Love & Osker (Birmingham, AL)

• Ona Rex (Nashville, TN)

• Paulie Gibson (St. Louis, MO) 

• Rank & Sugar (Nashville, TN)

Thursday, April 4

• Article X (Nashville, TN)

• Barbara Bultman (St. Louis, MO)

• Britache' by Bri (Sunrise, FL)

• Laura Citron (Nashville, TN)

• Truly Alvarenga (Nashville, TN)

Friday, April 5

• Amanda Casarez (St. Louis, MO)

• Any Old Iron (Nashville, TN) 

• Ashe Cain (Nashville, TN)

• Justin Mark Richards (Nashville, TN)

• Lagi Nadeau (Chicago, IL)

“We are delighted to showcase nine of Nashville’s leading designers, five returning favorites from across the country and six new designers discovered through our designer application process,” said Richardson and Masulla. “It’s so rewarding to watch the growth of our designers from year to year. The quality and number of designer applications and interest from around the region continues to increase each year as well."

AMAX TALENT + NFW 2019 MODEL SEARCH FINALISTS 

You can't have a runway show without models! Three finalists have been selected from thousands of applicants for the 2019 AMAX Talent + Nashville Fashion Week Model Search. Chaney Trosper, Kirstin Brower and Sara Lowe will each receive beauty makeovers from Love Salon Nashville before having the opportunity to meet with agents and scouts from top agencies around the world during the upcoming AMAX showcase.

"We had a remarkable group of applicants again this year and are excited to have the opportunity to work with Nashville Fashion Week to find and develop unique and diverse models with high fashion potential from the Nashville area for the global marketplace," said Ginny Maxwell, Director of Scouting & Development at AMAX Talent.

The winner will have the opportunity to walk the NFW runway, as well as win a $1,000 contract with AMAX Talent, a photo shoot with local fashion photographer Ramiah Branch and a gift bag from Love Salons. The AMAX + NFW Model Search has been a launchpad for many successful modeling careers since its inception in 2012. 

Tickets for Nashville Fashion Week 2019 are now available to purchase at NashvilleFashionWeek.com. Individual ticket prices are $50 for general admission and $75 for seated tickets. The four-night Runway Pass is $200 for general admission with VIP access and $300 for preferred seated VIP tickets. The All Acess Pass includes front row VIP tickets to all four nights of ruway plus a ticket to the Fashion Forward Gala. Gala tickets are $250 with tables of 10 available for $2,500. All proceeds benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. 

For more information on the schedule, designers, a full list of sponsors, party pics and to purchase tickets, visit NashvilleFashionWeek.com. Click HERE to see the Hi-Fi Media Co. photo booth antics from the Kickoff Party.

And the 2018 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund Recipient is...

NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK ANNOUNCES THE 2018 NASHVILLE FASHION FORWARD FUND RECIPIENT AND 2019 PARTNERSHIP WITH OZ ARTS NASHVILLE

Thank you to all that joined us for our 2019 Nashville Fashion Week Launch Party last night at OZ Arts Nashville! We were excited to announce our 2018 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient with plans for our 2019 city-wide celebration of Nashville's thriving fashion and retail community to an enthusiastic and sold-out crowd.

MEET THE EIGHTH ANNUAL NASHVILLE FASHION FORWARD FUND RECIPIENT

We are proud to announce fashion designer Van Hoang as our 2018 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient. A selection committee from The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee selected Hoang from a diverse group of experienced fashion industry applicants.

The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennesseee 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.

“I am incredibly honored to be the recipient of this years Nashville Fashion Forward Fund," said Hoang. "This award will enable me to attend the Copenhagen Fashion Summit which is a global conference about sustainability in fashion and this opportunity will allow me to learn from top leaders in the field. I hope to bring this knowledge back to Nashville and turn ideas into action.”

Van Hoang is a designer based in Nashville, TN. She has a B.F.A. in Fashion Design & Merchandising from O’More College of Design as well as an M.A. in Design for Sustainability from Savannah College of Art & Design. Her aesthetic is modern yet timeless, versatile, and functional. She is interested in the intersection of sustainability, fashion, and technology and how those fields can work together to innovate solutions and break down barriers to create a more sustainable fashion system. Hoang's mission is to offer an alternative to fast fashion that many have become accustomed to. In the past she created one-of-a-kind gowns with intricate craftsmanship and couture techniques. However, she recently launched her namesake high-end ready-to-wear line that is handmade in Nashville and hopes to build a company with sustainability, quality, and community as it’s core values. Hoang showed on the Nashville Fashion Week runway in 2015.

“Talent and commitment was seen in every one of the 18 applications this year and our committee was thrilled to read the record number of applications and be introduced to so many creative voices in our community" said Amy Fair, Vice President, Donor Services at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. "In the end, it was Van’s incredible presentation and vision for how the experience of traveling to the Copenhagen Fashion Summit would enhance her commitment to sustainable fashion and allow her to begin to build an international network of like-minded individuals interested in the intersection of fashion, sustainability, and technology.”

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.

Previous Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipients include apparel designers Maria Silver, Eric Bornhop, Julianna Bass and Lauren Leonard Phelps; fashion photographer Brett Warren; accessory designer Ceri Hoover, and Elise Joseph, founder of Goodwin.

SAVE THESE DATES!

Nashville Fashion Week will take place April 2-6, 2019 in collaboration with our strategic partner OZ Arts Nashville. The fifth annual Nashville Fashion Forward Gala will also take place at OZ Arts on January 19. 

“We are so thrilled to have OZ Arts Nashville as our strategic partner and our home for all of our runway shows again this year,” said Nashville Fashion Week co-founders/managing partners Connie Cathcart-Richardson and Marcia Masulla. “OZ Arts has been a long time friend and supporter of NFW and together we will continue to take Nashville Fashion Week and our creative community to the next level.” 

“OZ Arts is proud of its ongoing partnership with Nashville Fashion Week,” said OZ Arts President and CEO Tim Ozgener. “I believe fashion is one of Nashville’s most dynamic creative industries. Helping showcase this industry and its designers while supporting the growth of Nashville’s creative class just makes sense for us at OZ Arts Nashville.”

Cathcart-Richardson and Masulla are excited to showcase the accompishments of Nashville's established designers as well as new emerging designers found through the NFW application process on the runway at OZ.

“Our mission from day one has been to educate local and national audiences about Nashville’s thriving fashion industry. Nashville Fashion Week and the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund have helped raise awareness of Nashville’s vast creative talent by showcasing over 130 designers and hundreds of local businesses with an investment of over $1 million in the local fashion community over the past eight years," Cathcart-Richardson and Masulla said. "We look forward to fostering Nashville’s fashion-forward and entrepreneurial talent for many years to come with this volunteer led and run event.”

Nashville Fashion Week was founded in 2010 as an all-volunteer led and run event spotlighting Nashville’s growing fashion community with a sustainable focus of philanthropic support of the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Nashville Fashion Week features local, regional and national designers and industry professionals in an array of creative events throughout the week to encourage both Nashvillians and visitors to explore the city’s diverse fashion and retail spaces through promotions, partnerships and educational workshops.

Tickets to the Nashville Fashion Forward Gala will go on sale November 26 at NashvilleFashionWeek.com.

ONLY 10 MORE DAYS FOR DESIGNERS TO APPLY TO SHOW AT NFW '19

WHO'S NEXT? APPLY NOW FOR AMAX + NFW MODEL SEARCH 2019 

Introducing AMAX Talent + NFW Model Search 2019

Nashville Fashion Week and AMAX Talent Announce Model Search 2019

AMAX Talent is searching for aspiring models through December 2 to debut at Nashville Fashion Week 2019. Eligible male and female applicants ages 13-30 will have the opportunity to meet with AMAX Talent model scouts for a chance at the grand prize. 

The finalists will be announced early 2019 with the winner announced in April during Nashville Fashion Week. The winner will receive a prize package that includes:

• $1,000 modeling contract and development with AMAX Talent

• The opportunity to meet one-on-one with top national modeling agents including IMG, Next, Elite and Ford and to walk the Nashville Fashion Week runway

• A professional photo shoot with a local fashion photographer

• A gift bag provided by Lucy Pop Salon

All finalists will have the opportunity to meet with agents from top agencies during the AMAX showcase and will receive beauty makeovers by Lucy Pop Salon.

Applications will be accepted at NashvilleFashionWeek.com, and through the @AMAXArmy Instagram account. A live model call will also be held on Friday, October 19 from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. at Love 30A, 30 Gardenia Street, Cottage 3, Santa Rosa, Florida 32459 during fall break.

No experience is required, but applicants must meet all of the physical and age requirements and guidelines specified on NashvilleFashionWeek.com. Only models NOT represented by other agencies are eligible to participate. All Model Search applicants will also be considered for Nashville Fashion Week model casting.

The AMAX + NFW Model Search has been a launchpad for many successful modeling careers since 2012. 2018 Model Search winner Aubrey Hill walked in Nashville Fashion Week and made the cover of Native Magazine, shot by Brett Warren. She will be spending this fall modeling in Thailand. 2017 Model Search winner Ella Miller is in development and has worked with photographers Brett Warren, Mark DeLong, Jess Williams and Mario Pena. Only two weeks after being named the 2016 Model Search winner, Molly Rothe was selected to walk for Carolina Herrera. She has since received multiple contract offers from top agencies around the world and worked with renowned photographer Emma Summerton. 2015 Model Search winner, Briggs Rudder, spent the summer modeling in Japan, and is signed with Wilhelmina in New York where she has worked for Maybelline and walked for Valentino. 2014 winner, Sydney Chiyoko, is signed with Next Model Management in Los Angeles and Miami and with DNA Models in New York. She has walked in Nashville Fashion Week and Miami Swim Week and starred in campaigns for Uta and Bad Habit Beauty.  2013 winner, Olivia Brunner, has been featured in Justine Magazine and worked for TJ Maxx. Caleigh Darraugh, the 2012 Model Search winner, has worked in Paris, New York, Los Angeles and Asia. Her clients include Marc Jacobs, Kate Spade, Gilt Group, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire France and L’Officiel and she has appeared on the cover of WWD and L’Officiel Morocco. 

AMAX Talent is a full service agency representing fashion, commercial and lifestyle models as well as actors, hair and make-up artists, and wardrobe stylists. Cherylann Stephens, former director of Next and Wilhelmina in Los Angeles, opened AMAX's parent company, Maximum Artist Creative Services, in 2005 to fill the need for an artists agency in the Nashville market. In 2009 MACS acquired AMAX, a well known Nashville modeling agency founded in 1989. In 2012, AMAX was joined by Ginny Edwards Maxwell, a well-known model scout and mother agent. Through a strong emphasis on both local and direct booking, as well as scouting and developing local models for international placement, AMAX has quickly risen to become one of the premier agencies in the Southeast. AMAX models have been featured in campaigns for Calvin Klein, Celine, Jill Stuart, American Eagle, Ralph Lauren, Levi's, Tommy Hilfiger as well as walked the runways of Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Prada, Versace and Louis Vuitton. For more information on the agency, please visit AMAXTalent.com.

Who Will Be The Next Nashville Fashion Forward Fund Recipient?

The Application Deadline is this FRIDAY, October 19

Don't let this opportunity pass you by! Applications for the 2018 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund Award are due by 4 p.m. on Friday, October 19 at The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. #whynfw

Nashville Fashion Week 2019 Emerging Designer applications are being accepted now through November 25th too. Detailed information can be found under APPLICATIONS at NashvilleFashionWeek.com.

The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund Recipient Is...

Thanks to all that joined us for our 2018 Nashville Fashion Week Kickoff Party last night at Noelle! We were excited to announce the first details of our 2018 programming and our 2017 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient to a sold-out crowd. 

“Our mission has always been to educate local and national audiences about Nashville’s thriving fashion industry,” said Nashville Fashion Week managing partners/co-founders Connie Cathcart-Richardson and Marcia Masulla. “For over eight years, Nashville Fashion Week and the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund have helped raise awareness of Nashville’s vast creative talent by showcasing over 109 designers and hundreds of local businesses with an investment of over $750,000 in the local fashion community. We look forward to fostering Nashville’s fashion-forward and entrepreneurial talent for many years to come with this volunteer led and run event.”

SEVENTH ANNUAL NASHVILLE FASHION FORWARD FUND RECIPIENT NAMED BY THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE

Designer Maria Silver has been named the 2017 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient. A committee from the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee selected Silver from a group of experienced fashion industry applicants with ties to Middle Tennessee. Silver is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York with a bachelor of fine arts in women's contemporary clothing and costume design. Before founding her fashion line Black by Maria Silver in 2011, Silver worked in various costume design positions on Broadway, then moved to Los Angeles as a design assistant, as well as toured with the cult rock band The Ettes. Black by Maria Silver has been featured in Nylon, Bust, Refinery 29, Elle, and others. More recently, Silver designed for the critically acclaimed Nashville Ballet production 7 Deadly Sins, and in 2017, opened her first storefront in East Nashville. This will be her fifth year showing at Nashville Fashion Week.

"I couldn't be more honored to receive the Fashion Forward Fund award from the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and Nashville Fashion Week,” said Sliver. “The continued support from the Nashville community has been key to my growth. With this award, I hope to explore new ways to improve both my e-commerce presence and brick and mortar storefront, with the end-goal to integrate both in an innovative manner. I believe is the future of our craft and art.”

The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund 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. Established in 2011 by the co-founders of Nashville Fashion Week, the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. All proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund. 

2018 LOCAL & EMERGING DESIGNERS ANNOUNCED

Nashville Fashion Week announced local and emerging designers with additional announcements to follow for two additional nights of runway. Six established local designers will have the opportunity to showcase their most recent collections again at the Nashville Designer Showcase on Tuesday, April 3 at opening night of Nashville Fashion Week:

• Any Old Iron 
• Black by Maria Silver
• Lily Guilder
• Ola Mai
• Ona Rex
• Truly Avarenga

The Emerging Designer Showcase on Friday, April 6 will include ten designers from across the country. These designers were selected from hundreds of applications submitted through the emerging designer application process this year.

• Amanda Casarez (Stafford, VA) 
• Andrew Gallivan (Brooklyn, NY) 
• Ariel, Inc. (Atlanta, GA)
• Barbara Bultman Designs (St. Louis, MO)
• Eileen Kelly (Nashville, TN)
• Justin Mark Richards (Nashville, TN)
• Laura Citron (Nashville, TN)
• Shea Steele (Brooklyn, NY)
• Splashed by DKG (Birmingham, AL)
• Yellowcake Shop (Cleveland, OH)

“We are delighted to showcase Nashville’s leading designers with new designers discovered through our emerging designer application process,” said Richardson and Masulla. “The quality and number of emerging designer applications we receive continues to grow each year as does the community support for our local designers. It’s so rewarding to watch these designers grow from year to year.”

All four Nashville Fashion Week runway shows will take place in one location for the first time ever in collaboration with OZ Arts Nashville on Tuesday, April 3 through Saturday, April 7. 

AMAX TALENT + NFW 2018 MODEL SEARCH FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

The 2018 AMAX Talent + Nashville Fashion Week Model Search finalists selected from thousands of applicants were also announced. They include:

• Francesca Désir
• Aubrey Hill
• Lily Merhoff
• Vienna Rovenstine
• Alyssa Taylor 

The winner will be awarded a $1,000 modeling contract with AMAX Talent, the opportunity to meet one-on-one with top national modeling agents including IMG, Next, Elite and Ford, a professional photo shoot with fashion photographer/2016 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient Brett Warren, and the opportunity to walk the Nashville Fashion Week runway. The AMAX Talent + Nashville Fashion Week Model Search has been a launch pad for many successful modeling careers since 2012. 

"We had a remarkable group of applicants this year and are excited to have the opportunity to work with Nashville Fashion Week to find and develop unique and diverse models with high fashion potential from the Nashville area for the global marketplace," said Ginny Maxwell, Director of Scouting & Development at AMAX Talent.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Tickets for Tuesday, Friday and the Elevated Access Pass are now available to purchase on the Nashville Fashion Week website. Prices range from $50/$75 for standing tickets, $75/$100 seated tickets, and $350 for the ELEVATED Access Pass. All proceeds benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.