Applications for the 2019 NFFF & NFW 2020 Designers Are Now Accepted

APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2019 NASHVILLE FASHION FORWARD FUND & 

NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK 2020 DESIGNERS ARE NOW ACCEPTED

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YOU COULD BE NEXT!

Nashville Fashion Week invites you to submit your application for the 2019 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund award to The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee now through October 15. Professionals working in all aspects of the fashion industry from designers and photographers to stylists, models, hair and makeup artists, retail owners and content creatorsare encouraged to apply for this experiential professional development opportunity provided each year through proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week. Detailed instructions for application submission can be found at NashvilleFashionWeek.com with bios on our previous recipients. The 2019 recipient will be announced at the 10th Annual Nashville Fashion Week Launch Party in November. #whyNFW

Applications must arrive at The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee's office at 3833 Cleghorn Avenue by 4:30 p.m. CST on Wednesday, October 15, 2019. The award recipient is selected by a committee of the Board of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

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ARE YOU READY FOR THE RUNWAY?

Nashville Fashion Week is on the search for designers to spotlight during our 10th Anniversary events. Applicants must demonstrate creativity, quality and a broad appeal to a wide range of consumers. Select designers will have the opportunity to showcase their collection during Nashville Fashion Week 2020. All designers interested in showing their collections are encouraged to submit their application for review.

The deadline to submit designer applications is 11:59 p.m. CST on Wednesday, October 15. All applicants will be notified in December and the lineup announced at an official Nashville Fashion Week event early next year. 

Designer Criteria:

  • All designers, whether you have previously shown at NFW or not, are encouraged to apply, but preference will be given to those that live in or have connections to Nashville and/or Middle Tennessee

  • Each collection must be original designs, debuting at Nashville Fashion Week


PLEASE NOTE: Nashville Fashion Week does not charge a submission fee to apply or participate. Designers selected are responsible for their own travel and related expenses, and for transporting their collection to Nashville — as well as all costs associated with designing/creating their looks, including shoes, accessories and music for their runway show. No age restrictions or specific experience is required. However, those under 18 will need parent/guardian permission to apply.

Are You The Next Nashville Fashion Forward Fund Recipient?

 
 

Nashville Fashion Week was conceived in 2010 to foster and support Nashville’s heralded community spirit and concentration of creative, fashion-forward and entrepreneurial talent with an ongoing, sustainable focus for philanthropic support of our creative community. All proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. The NFF Fund gives an annual experiential award to advance the career of select local talent with demonstrated experience in a fashion-related field each year and ensures that Nashville Fashion Week will impact the Nashville fashion community for many years to come.

Van Hoang, our 2018 NFFF recipient, and Maria Silver, 2017, both used their awards this summer for trips abroad to learn and explore sustainability. Van attended the Copenhagen Fashion Summit and Maria traveled to London for the Decoded Future Summit. They both returned to Nashville with a new perspective and inspiration from the unique experiences that the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund provided them. What experience would catapult you and your business?

ARE YOU THE NEXT NFFF RECIPIENT?

Well, get ready...The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee will start accept applications for the 2019 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund on September 4 through October 15. Professionals working in all aspects of the fashion industry, from designers and photographer to stylists, models, hair and makeup artists, retail owners, influencers, and everything in between are encouraged to apply. Start thinking about the best way to present your case for an experiential professional development opportunity that will develop and enhance you, your career and ultimately our fashion community. The NFF Fund award is provided each year through proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week.

Six other recipients have received NFFF awards to enhance their careers: Apparel designers Eric Bornhop, Julianna Bass and Lauren Leonard Phelps; fashion photographer Brett Warren; accessory designer Ceri Hoover; and Elise Joseph, founder of Pennyweight and Goodwin. We'd love to add your name to this list!

The NFFF award recipient is selected by a committee of the Board of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and will be notified later this year. Detailed information will be announced on September 4th when the application goes live. #whynfw

You Make A Difference

Please Support The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund!

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s The Big Payback kicks off at midnight tonight! The Big Payback is a community-wide giving day that celebrates Middle Tennessee's spirit of generosity and supports the life-changing work of area nonprofits, of which the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund is proud to be a part. Eight talented fashion professionals with ties to Middle Tennessee have received financial awards for unique experiential professional development opportunities from this fund since 2011. You could be next! Every dollar contributed will make a difference within our fashion community for years to come. Donations of all sizes are greatly appreciated. Gifts made on May 2nd are amplified by incentives and awards that could qualify us for special prizes and bonuses throughout the day. Thank you for your continued encouragement and support of the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund. It's hard to believe that we're heading into year 10!

Thank You!

"Thank You" doesn't even begin to touch the gratitude that we have for our sponsors and for you! Nashville Fashion Week is 100% funded through the generosity and support of our sponsors, donors and ticket sales with all proceeds benefiting the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Please show your appreciation to these amazing businesses by supporting them throughout the year.

Be sure to check out all of the beautiful images that have flooded in from our talented volunteer photographers HERE. 2019 really was our biggest and BOLDest year yet!

THE BIG PAYBACK IS COMING...

Please support the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s The Big Payback is May 2. The goal of this 24-hour, online giving event is simple – raise awareness of non-profits within our community and inspire Middle Tennesseans to come together and contribute to support the life-changing work of 902 local nonprofit organizations. This is a great opportunity to show all of Nashville just how important the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund is to you.

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 a financial award and resources for experential professional development opportunities through an application process each year. Nashville Fashion Week has invested more than $1 million into our community since 2011 to provide an annual opportunity for our community to celebrate and showcase local creative talent while providing financial awards to seven Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipients. Funds are raised through Nashville Fashion Week, our annual five-day volunteer-led and run event, to spotlight Nashville's growing fashion community with an ongoing, sustainable focus for philanthropic support of our creative community, but more is needed to fulfill our mission each year.

Nashville Fashion Week continues year after year with the financial support and encouragement of our community. Please consider making a gift on May 2 to further the mission of the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund. Every dollar contributed will make a difference for years to come. Thank you!

NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK 2019 ENDED WITH A BANG!

NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK 2019 ENDED WITH A BANG!

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We did it! Everything about Nashville Fashion Week 2019 was BOLD. We presented four nights of diverse runway shows featuring twenty local and regional designers with our partner OZ Arts Nashville; five Learning Labs, including the live broadcast of our first Sustainable Summit moderated by Fern Mallis; fifty interactive Shop Nashville events all across town; the party of all after parties at Dream Nashville. We had hundreds of models and volunteers, with more supportive and engaged sponsors than ever along with thousands of attendees. We could go on and on about all of the goodness, but we invite you to view the gorgeous images captured by our talented visuals team at NashvilleFashionWeek.com and follow the hashtag #whynfw on social media to see for yourself. Thank you for our biggest, brightest and boldest year yet!

We ended year nine with a very special evening at OZ Arts Nashville that put the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund front and center. Our fifth annual Nashville Fashion Forward Gala and presentation of the Fashion Forward Awards was the perfect punctuation to celebrate and support the resolute, entrepreneurial spirit of our Nashville fashion community following the week-long festivities.

Amos Events and Bright Events designed a BOLD and colorful environment with the perfect touches from Please Be Seated and Oshi Floral Design. Colorful cocktails curated by Titos Handmade Vodka and immersive experiences from CraftCourse and Hi-Fi Media engaged the guests while they mingled. Local artist Tess Ernlenborn was center stage creating live art that utilized the colors pre-selected by our guests. Two of her beautiful paintings were then auctioned off to benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Guests enjoyed a delicious dinner by G Catering, wine from Love and Exile and spirits from Titos Handmade Vodka, Beefeater London Pink Gin and Jameson Black Barrel.

Nashville Fashion Week co-founders, Connie Cathcart-Richardson and Marcia Masulla welcomed the guests and thanked sponsors and volunteers before turning it over to Amy Fair from The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to share the mission of the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund. Eric Adler (2015), Maria Silver (2017) and Van Hoang (2018), previous Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipients each shared in their own words what their award has meant to them to the fashionable crowd.

Guest host Nikki Burdine, anchor of Good Morning Nashville, WKRN, took the mic to emcee the evening and announce the Fashion Forward Awards to this year's recipients. Congratulations to Andrew Clancey (Rising Star), Margaret Ellis (Humanitarian), Claudia Fowler (Fashion Forward), Margo Price (Style Icon), Linda Roberts (Legacy), Sofie Rovenstine (Face of Fashion) and Olia Zavozina (Point of View)! Click HERE to watch each of their gorgeous videos and the Gala photo above for their bios.

2019 is a year that Nashville Fashion Week will not soon forget, however, who's ready for our 10th Anniversary? Planning begins in weeks and we want you to be a part!

One More Way To Support the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund...

SAVE THE DATE! The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s The Big Payback is May 2! The goal of this 24-hour, online giving event is simple – inspire Middle Tennesseans to come together, show their pride in their communities, and contribute to support the life-changing work of local nonprofit organizations. This is a great way to show all of Nashville just how much the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund means to you and our fashion community.

The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund is an endowed fund established in 2011 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. All proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week benefit the Fund.

Fashion designer Van Hoang is 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.

"I am incredibly honored to be the recipient of this years Nashville Fashion Forward Fund. 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, 2018 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund Recipient

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.