CELEBRATE WITH NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK

CELEBRATE WITH NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK

When we say ELEVATED, we mean it! We've got a jam-packed schedule with close to 100 events planned next week and we look forward to celebrating with you! Nashville Fashion Week 2018 officially kicks off on Monday, April 2 with the first of our Learning Labs and quickly ramps up with over fifty "Shop Nashville Week" events, five more Learning Labs, Fashion Talks with Fern Mallis and Anna Sui, designer Pop-Ups and four nights of runway shows featuring twenty-four designers with musical guests Escondido and Karen Elson at OZ Arts Nashville throughout the week. There is literally something for everyone!

ELEVATED Access Passes have SOLD OUT! Only a few standing room tickets remain for the Nashville Designer and Emerging Designer Showcase and the Ready-to-Wear and Finale Show seated tickets featuring Anna Sui are going fast! And whatever you do, don't miss the NFW Fashion Talks with fashion legends Fern Mallis and Anna Sui at Union Station Hotel on Friday afternoon!

BEAUTY: Runway to Real Way at The Cosmetic Market is SOLD OUT! But, tickets are still available for five other NFW Learning Labs - CULTURE: Life Off the Runway with Amanda Valentine & Ayana Ife, CREATE: Margaret Ellis Jewelry Intro to Metalsmithing | Make Your Own Pearl Bangles, PHOTOGRAPHY: Behind the Lens with Brett Warren & Zachary Gray, BUSINESS: Social Media | Vanity vs. Effectiveness with Her Data Method and INFLUENCERS: Navigate the Influencer Space with Happily Grey + CLIQUE media | Moderated by Designer Chrissy Fogerty of Fauxgerty. Don't miss out on these unique educational opportunities!

And then there is the big question...What are you going to wear to all of these marvelous events? Click HERE for full details on every Shop Nashville event that will take place next week. Nashville Fashion Week is a great excuse to go shopping!

All NFW ticket holders get FREE admission to the Frist Center of the Visual Arts April 2 through 14 featuring the Nick Cave: Feat exhibit with proof of purchase.

Proceeds from all Nashville Fashion Week events 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 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. 

Nashville Fashion Week Presents Shop Nashville Week 2017

Nashville Fashion Week Presents Shop Nashville Week 2017

Nashville Fashion Week is excited to announce a week full of special shopping events April 3-8 at a variety of Nashville-area retailers city-wide. Shop Nashville is a city-wide celebration designed to encourage and support the local retail community that makes us uniquely Nashville. Thirty participating retail partners will host seventy-nine of their own events, trunk shows and unique promotions during Nashville Fashion Week to benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee through donations and proceeds from event sales.

NFW Sponsor Legacy Ink has donated a limited quantity of official "Shop Nashville" tote bags for each participating retailer to gift to their customers during the week.

Present your receipt for at least $25 from any participating NFW “Shop Nashville” retail partner for free admission to our Nashville Fashion Week “Evening of Photography + Fashion” event at Fifth Avenue of the Arts on Thursday, April 6 from 6:30-9:30.

NFW Retail Partners:

American Threads
Any Old Iron
AshBlue
Barton Perreira
Ceri Hoover
David Yurman
Dillard's Green Hills
Emerson Grace
FashionAble
Flip

Gus Mayer
H. Audrey
Judith Bright
Levy's
Lily Guilder Design Showroom
Madewell
Margaret Ellis Jewelry
OBag
Oak Hall
Posh

Private Edition
Rachel's Boutique
Scout & Molly's
SOCA Clothing
Stacey Rhodes Boutique
Steluta
True Religion
Two Old Hippies
UAL
Vineyard Vines

Featured Shop Nashville Week events include:

• Any Old Iron, Levy’s, Lily Guilder Design Showroom, Posh and Stacey Rhodes Boutique will each host NFW runway designer trunk shows. Stop by to shop the looks from the runway and meet the designers.

• Alabama Chanin designer and Nashville Fashion Forward Gala guest speaker Natalie Chanin will showcase her collection at Steluta all week long with a meet and greet on Friday.

• Kick off NFW shopping at UAL, a seven year NFW sponsor, with 20% off any single item purchased at any of their three Nashville locations on Monday, April 3.

• Blogger styling event at Madewell with Chloe Wen on Tuesday

• Shop 2014 NFF Fund recipient Ceri Hoover’s new SS17 collection launch on Wednesday

• Lash and brow beauty event at Barton Perreira on Wednesday

• Shop and meet the owner of Eleventy at their Pop Up Shop at Oak Hall on Thursday

• American Threads will donate 10% of sales to the Fund on Friday

• Saturday afternoon Fashion Shows at the new Dillard’s Green Hills

• Trunk Shows at Emerson Grace, H. Audrey, Levy’s, Oak Hall, Private Edition and Two Old Hippies throughout the week. Margaret Ellis Jewelry is hosting an out-of-studio trunk show at Nina Kuzina Gallery on Friday and Saturday.

• Refreshments and food trucks at David Yurman, Flip, Vineyard Vines and many more

• Register for drawings and giveaways at Ash Blue, Gus Mayer and Scout & Molly’s

• Exclusive discounts will be offered throughout the week at American Threads, FashionAble, Judith Bright, Margaret Ellis Jewelry, OBag, Rachel’s Boutique, SOCA, True Religion, Two Old Hippies and UAL

• Please shop our other loyal NFW sponsors too - The Mall at Green Hills, Opry Mills, William Edge, Green Pea Salon and The Cosmetic Market

Visit NashvilleFashionWeek.com to view the full Nashville Fashion Week 2017 schedule including detailed event descriptions for each of Shop Nashville's participating retailers and to purchase tickets to all of the official NFW events planned throughout the week.

LAST CALL TO SAVE - TICKET PRICES INCREASE TOMORROW!

Individual runway show ticket prices will increase $25 each and tickets for Thursday's "An Evening of Photography + Fashion" ticket will increase $15 on Tuesday, March 28 so get your tickets now! It's only one more week until show time!

Nashville Fashion Week Announces Five Interactive "Learning Labs"

Nashville Fashion Week Announces Five Interactive "Learning Labs"

 

Nashville Fashion Week is excited to announce a new focus for our 2017 educational experiences. Five separate and distinct fashion-focused “Learning Labs” will take place throughout the week of April 4-8. Nashville Fashion Week is designed to showcase the local fashion community by providing a platform to engage, learn and connect and these unique experiences were developed to do just that.

Margaret Ellis Jewelry Intro to Metalsmithing: Make Your Own Pearl Bangles

Tuesday, April 4 | 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Location: 209 10th Avenue South, Suite 309, 37203

Admission: $250 Individual Ticket includes instruction, materials and your own personal set of ME Pearl Bangles (retail value $445). 

Learn to make your very own set of classic ME bronze pearl bangles with the assistance from one of Nashville's most respected local businesses. Margaret Ellis Jewelry utilizes strong shapes and textures to bring new relevance to classic handcrafted designs. Precious metals, individually select pearls and stones form modern and timeless works of art designed to be worn for years to come. ME designer/owner Mclaine Richardson and ME master metalsmiths will help you find your inner creativity and inspiration through the art of jewelry design. Ticket price includes admission and all materials needed to create your choice of a Set of 6 with 2 Pearl Bangles or a Set of 3 with 5 Pearl Bangles during the time of this event at the Margaret Ellis studio.

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Waller Law Your Brand, Your Way and How to Protect It

Wednesday, April 5 | 12:00 - 1:30 p.m.

Location: Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP, Nashville City Center, 511 Union Street, Suite 2700, Nashville 37219

Admission: $25 Individual ticket includes lunch

Protecting your brand is a personal and important development for any business, small or large. Waller is proud to host a Learning Lab panel with Mila Griggs (MODA Image & Brand Consulting), Christopher Lester, Lucas Leverett (Jive! - A Printworks Studio)and Kristen Johns (Attorney, Waller) to discuss this important focal point of any marketing plan for a business. Topics to be discussed will include the necessity of a personal brand story, e-mail extension of a brand, how printed materials can effectively communicate your business, and what steps can be taken to protect a brand’s integrity. Lunch provided by Waller.

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Elizabeth Suzann Tour A Designer's Studio

Thursday, April 6 | 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Location: Elizabeth Suzann | 441 Atlas Drive, 37211

Admission: $30 Individual Ticket. 

Peek inside the world of a local designer. Elizabeth Suzann is a young design company producing elegant, utilitarian women's clothing from its hybrid production facility and design studio. Designer and founder Liz Pape challenges traditional fashion norms and aims to return to the days of cottage industry-style manufacturing and capsule wardrobes with intentional, well-designed, and seasonless pieces.

Elizabeth Suzann's entire line is desined and produced completely in-house - from original sketches to fulfillment. Tour the entire studio with the designers herself and get an in-depth look at one of the local fashion community's most successful companies. One lucky ticket holder will win a $250 gift card.

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Chloe Wen How To Make Money Blogging

Saturday, April 8 | 10:00 - 11 a.m.

Location: The Westin Hotel | 807 Clark Place, 37203

Admission: $40 Individual Ticket. 

Have you ever wanted to make money blogging? Local Nashville blogger Chloe Wen left college to become a successful lifestyle blogger and she's hosting a 4-tier educational event for those who wish to learn her craft. She'll walk attendees through the steps of finding your brand, perfecting your pitch, knowing your worth, and working with brands/getting paid. Inspired by passion and love for the city of Nashville, Chloe transitioned her photography business into a successful brand. Learn how you can become a successful blogger. Lite bites provided by Maneet Chauhan.

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ALABAMA CHANIN Intro To Hand Sewing Workshop

Saturday, April 8 | 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Location: Aurora Nashville | 150 3rd Avenue South, Suite 108, 37201

Admission: $225 Individual Ticket includes materials, instruction stories & laughter. 

Introduction to Hand Sewing Workshop includes discussion of the physics of sewing, reverse applique, and an overview of garment construction and other Alabama Chanin techniques. This workshop is suited to beginners and experienced sewers alike. Work with the Alabama Chanin Team to create a custom DIY item. Lite bites provided by The Southern Steak & Oyster.

NFW Learning Labs are underwritten in part by Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP and Middle Tennessee State University Textiles, Merchandising and Design.

Tickets for each “Learning Lab” can be purchased at NashvilleFashionWeek.com. Reservations are required. Proceeds from all Nashville Fashion Week events 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. 

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 individual events are now available in a wide range of prices. 

Nashville Fashion Week to Host an Evening of Photography + Fashion

Nashville Fashion Week to Host an Evening of Photography + Fashion

Nashville Fashion Week will celebrate art and photography at “An Evening of Photography + Fashion” on Thursday, April 6th from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at two Fifth Avenue of the Arts galleries and The Frist Center for the Visual Arts. Explore and celebrate how fashion and style have inspired and influenced the art in each of these beautiful exhibits.

The evening will begin at Tinney Contemporary Gallery and Rymer Gallery and guests will be transported to and from the Frist Center for the Visual Arts every 20 minutes by between 7 and 8:30 p.m. Shuttles are provided in partnership with the Nashville Downtown Partnership.

Tinney Contemporary will feature Adam Shulman’s “Gold of Africa” photography exhibit. Adam Shulman has a strong connection to the continent of Africa. Married to a Senegalese model, and living between the Middle East, West Africa, and NYC, Shulman has immersed himself in West African, Middle Eastern, and NYC culture and fashion. As a self-taught photographer, he has pursued both digital and film media, and has shot everything from Arizona landscapes to NYC fashion photography. But Shulman is a dynamic individual, and has spent the past year living and working in Ghana, West Africa, where he trained local medical professionals on modern cancer treatment techniques. The artist will be in attendance at this solo exhibit that runs at Tinney through May 6.

"Tinney Contemporary is so excited to introduce the beautiful new work by photographer Adam Shulman to Nashville Fashion Week, a week that exemplifies the creativity within this community. This body of work is a perfect compliment to the innovative style and spirit that Nashville Fashion Week brings every year to Nashville and we couldn't be more  proud to be a part of it," says Susan Tinney, founder of Tinney Contemporary Gallery.

Rymer Gallery will present the art of Elise Wehle and Adam Thomas. 

Elise Wehle’s mixed-media art was originally inspired by patterns that cover Andalucía in Spain, but it was the Alhambra, a Moorish palace covered in intricate, hand carved patterns, that influenced her the most.

Adam Thomas is a self taught oil painter. His pieces are collected by Nordstrom and Vogue editor Anna Wintour. Thomas now lives in Nashville.

Guests will end this special evening at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty exhibit. Irving Penn (b. 1917, Plainfield, NJ; d. 2009, New York, NY) was one of the twentieth century’s most prolific and influential photographers of fashion and the famous. His pictures, a unique blend of classical elegance and formal innovation, were widely seen in print during his long career at Vogue magazine. His achievement, however, extends beyond conventional notions of depicting beauty or fame to include a radical reconsideration of how we understand fashion, photography, and art, separately and in relation to each other. The Beyond Beauty exhibit runs through May 29 at the Frist.

Tickets to this event are $25 and include two drink tickets provided by Tito's Handmade Vodka, Nashville Ice Lab and Mouton Noir Wines with lite bites from MStreet at the Fifth Avenue galleries and transportation to and from the Frist Center. Admission to this event is included with the NFW All Access Pass and complimentary with the presentation of a receipt for at least $25 from any participating NFW “Shop Nashville” retail partner. Visit nashvillefashioweek.com for a list of all Shop Nashville Week participating retail events.

An After Party will be hosted at Bar Sovereign from 9:30-11:00 p.m. The Bar Sovereign After Party tickets are $20 and will only be sold at the door. Admission includes one drink ticket.

Tickets for “An Evening of Photography + Fashion” as well as all other Nashville Fashion Week events are available at NashvilleFashionWeek.com. Proceeds from all Nashville Fashion Week ticket sales benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Fashion photographer Brett Warren was the recipient of the 2016 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund award. He was the first photographer to ever receive this award. 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.

Official Nashville Fashion Week events will be held April 4-8 at unique locations throughout the city.