Nashville Fashion Week to celebrate creative talent

Nashville joins the ranks of other cities around the country with the launch of an annual Nashville Fashion Week, March 29–April 2, 2011. The citywide event will celebrate Nashville’s thriving fashion and retail community and its array of creative talent. Proceeds from the event will benefit the newly established Nashville Fashion Forward Fund, to be administered by The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and awarded annually to advance the career of select local talent with demonstrated experience in a fashion-related field.

Nashville Fashion Week organizers are working with community partners and businesses throughout the city to ensure that the event encourages both Nashvillians and visitors to explore the area’s diverse fashion and retail spaces while highlighting local, regional and nationally known design talent.
“Nashville is a city with enormous creativity, a history of innovative entrepreneurship and an incredible community spirit,” said Mayor Karl Dean. “Nashville Fashion Week is an ideal way to demonstrate and celebrate the high level of talent that lives and works in our city.”

Lexus of Nashville is the official presenting sponsor for Nashville Fashion Week in 2011. Additional sponsors currently include The Mall at Green Hills, Big Events and the Hutton Hotel. Current media sponsorships include SouthComm Communications, NowPlayingNashville.com, Yelp and Comcast.

“Community involvement is a core value for us, and we’re pleased to support Nashville Fashion Week,” said JR Roper, general manager of Lexus of Nashville. “At Lexus, we have a passion for good design, and I share that personally, whether in cars, architecture or clothing.”

The establishment of the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund was inspired by the important professional development the Council of Fashion Designers (CFDA) provides through programs such as the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund ensures that Nashville Fashion Week is not just a signature high-profile event to celebrate creative talent, but also an ongoing, sustainable focus for philanthropic support.

“Nashville is a tremendously caring, giving community,” said Ellen Lehman, president of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. “With the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund, Nashville Fashion Week not only showcases the city’s creativity, but also encourages the next generation of talent in an area that doesn’t always receive the level of support it needs and deserves.”

In addition to The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, community partners for Nashville Fashion Week include the Mayor’s Office, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Nashville Downtown Partnership, and Nashville Fashion Group.

Nashville Fashion Week is being planned and directed by Creative Co-op Nashville, LLC, a volunteer collaboration of fashion, retail and media professionals who have partnered to combine their resources and passion to create this event.