Website: https://nashvillefashionweek.com/
Nashville Fashion Week (NFW) is an annual fashion event and charitable initiative based in Nashville, Tennessee. It brings together local, regional, and national designers and industry professionals through a series of creative events, and it supports the fashion community through the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund. The event is described as “a completely volunteer-led, run and managed event.”
Services
Nashville Fashion Week presents a range of fashion-focused programming throughout the city. Its events and offerings have included:
- Runway shows featuring local, regional, and national designers
- Model search and casting calls
- Educational panels and learning labs
- Pop-up shopping experiences
- Promotions and partnerships across the Nashville fashion community
Through the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund, the organization also provides “an annual financial award and resources for experiential professional development opportunities” for fashion professionals.
About
Nashville Fashion Week was founded in 2010 and launched in April 2011 as a five-day celebration. It was created to “foster Nashville’s heralded community spirit and concentration” of creative talent, and was co-founded by “a collaboration of fashion, media and marketing professionals.” Over time, the organization’s focus “changed from a week of events to a targeted ongoing, sustainable concentration on our Nashville Fashion Forward Fund.” In 2021, Nashville Fashion Week was selected by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to join its CFDA Connects initiative.
The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund, established in 2011, is a component fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. It supports “the next generation of fashion industry professionals with ties to Middle Tennessee” and is open to “experienced fashion industry professionals, including designers, photographers, stylists, models, hair and makeup artists, retailers, content creators.” Eligible candidates demonstrate experience in a fashion-related field and have ties to Middle Tennessee.
Location & Contact
Nashville Fashion Week is based in Nashville, in the Middle Tennessee region. Events have been hosted at OZ Arts Nashville, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts center that has served as a hosting venue since 2014. The organization offers an email signup on its website and accepts sponsorship inquiries. Donations to the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund are made through The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
Additional Information
Nashville Fashion Week is a volunteer-led organization that combines fashion programming with philanthropic support for the local industry. Over time it has shifted from a standalone week of runway events toward a sustained, year-round focus on the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund, which it describes as its central ongoing initiative. The Fund’s annual award provides both financial support and access to professional development opportunities for fashion industry professionals with ties to Middle Tennessee, including designers, photographers, stylists, models, hair and makeup artists, retailers, and content creators. Listed sponsors and partners have included The Electric Jane, Tito’s Vodka, AMAX Talent, 1 Hotels Nashville, Woodford Reserve, and Nashville Lifestyles. The organization’s website provides information on its events, the Fashion Forward Fund, sponsorship opportunities, and ways to donate, with donations processed through The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Specific dates for upcoming events are announced through the website and email updates.
Profile compiled from the company’s official website (nashvillefashionweek.com).