The Community Foundation

Nashville Fashion Week is a city-wide celebration of Nashville’s thriving fashion and retail community and its vast array of creative talent—featuring local, regional and national design talent in fashion events and shows, and encouraging both Nashvillians and visitors to explore the city’s diverse fashion and retail spaces throughout the week with promotions, partnerships and educational workshops.

On Saturday, April 5, 2014, Nashville Fashion Week will host Industry Panels from 10:00am until 4:00pm at 429 Chestnut Street, Nashville, TN 37203.

The cost for the day-long event is $25 and guests will receive a boxed lunch with a RSVP by April 1, 2014. Proceeds benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. The schedule is as follows:

10:00am – 11:15am
The New Content Commandments of Fashion and Technology
Whether it's your fashion observations or personal story, or your photos or designs, quality digital content matters more than ever. As the integration of fashion and technology is increasingly the focus of both consumers and investors, the bar's never been higher and the space has never been more crowded. Through both professional and personal online presences, these women know how to create content with impact and real ROI. They'll speak about the standards, guideposts, and "commandments" they know work — across all platforms — to ensure you're conveying powerful content.
Moderated by Cindy Wall, marketing and development director for the Belcourt; Theatre, writer, social media/PR professional, co-founder of NFW
Laura Hutson: Arts Editor at the Nashville Scene
Elise Joseph: curator, creative consultant and blogger, and 2014 recipient of the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund award
Annakate Tefft Ross: Director of Digital Services at mp&f/d, a division of McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, and blogger
Ellen Sutton: Brand Strategist, Flo Thinkery
Elizabeth Tucker, Co-founder and Publisher, ALIVE magazine, and Co-founder and Executive Producer, Saint Louis Fashion Week
Lauren Zwanziger, Pinterest star, blogger, designer and recent O'More graduate
    
11:30am – 12:30pm
Sustaining the Fashion Industry in Nashville (Boxed lunch available)
Casey Summar, Executive Director of the Nashville Arts & Business Council will present the recent Nashville Fashion Industry Survey results and report. Recommendations to build and sustain a vibrant eco-system for the future of the fashion industry in our area will be discussed.
Panel includes: Jamie Atlas, O’More College of Design, Libby Callaway, fashion consultant, David Perry, The DSP Group, Mike Smith, Publisher, SouthComm,& NFW Co-Founder, Connie Richardson, Stylist & Co-Founder NFW, Kristin Milner, NFW Media Director, Robert Campbell, NFW Co-Founder, and Van Tucker, business consultant.

1:00pm – 2:15pm
Leanne Mai’ly Hilgart: Social Enterprise and Sustainable Fashion Brands
Called "the Rebel of Fashion Week" by CNN, Leanne will share how she started the ethical fashion line that broke runway history, Vaute Couture, through cutting edge sustainable practices and putting a love for animals at the forefront of everything they do. Without a background in fashion or funding, Hilgart shares her lessons in how to create a sustainable business to serve the world with who you are.

2:30pm – 4:00pm
It's What You Don't Know: A Conversation with the CFDA's Johanna Stout
Johanna Stout, professional development manager of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), has helped hundreds of fashion designers define and master the great unknowns - the things you don't know but should - of owning and operating a business. During a 90-minute conversation with Nashville fashion consultant Libby Callaway, Johanna will provide background about the CFDA's Fashion Incubator program, which has so far helped 40 small fashion brands grow by providing low-cost studio space, business mentoring, educational seminars, and networking opportunities. She'll also discuss how Nashville's fashion community might grow using similar methodologies. The talk will conclude with an audience Q&A.

Ticket proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund, administered by The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund is awarded annually to advance the career of select local talent with demonstrated experience in a fashion-related field.

Nashville Fashion Week is founded and directed by Creative Co-op Nashville LLC, a collaboration of fashion, retail and media professionals who have partnered to combine resources and passion to create an event that spotlights Nashville’s growing fashion industry.