NOW IS THE TIME TO IMAGINE. WILL YOU JOIN US?
Since its inception in 2011, Nashville Fashion Week has been hosted in the spring, but this fall an updated version will take place October 12 -16. The fall lineup is designed to safely explore, test and shape the future of Nashville fashion in a meaningful way through strategic partnerships and collaborations with both local and global industry leaders. We look forward to connecting with our community again for a diverse schedule of digital and live programming that is designed to showcase and inspire our fashion community.
Nashville Fashion Week is designed to showcase and support the local fashion community by providing educational opportunities to engage, learn and connect experientially within the Nashville community. NFW is excited to announce the first of three FREE Learning Labs for 2021. We will launch our Learning Lab series with “Make + Innovate: A Fashion Manufacturing Open House and Tour” on Wednesday, October 13 at Prange Apparel.
From designers and students to curious fashion lovers, we invite any one and everyone who are interested to attend this interactive open house and tour to gain insight into the process and innovation of how fashion is made. The 2019 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient, Megan Prange of Prange Apparel will share the step-by-step process of how garments are manufactured right here in Nashville, Tennessee. From the initial consultation to development of tech packs and the creation of muslin samples to shipping the final product, this event will give a guided tour of the business of fashion while also offering an opportunity to have your questions answered while enjoying a tour of a facility where fashion is at work.
Megan Prange started Prange Apparel eight years ago in response to the demand from independent designers and boutique owners for small batch production. At the time, Megan was doing freelance pattern and sample work for local designers when she noticed the struggle they were having scaling their businesses. They couldn’t keep up with the demand by sewing everything themselves.
Prange decided to go out on a limb and open a small batch manufacturing business. She started off with just three home sewing machines and a few interns. Eight years later, Megan now has a full-scale business that she employs twenty-five full time employees, has over 30 industrial machines and client base that spans from coast to coast.
“Prange Apparel has come full circle with our connection with NFW. From supporting as an attendee from the first shows over a decade ago to being honored as the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient in 2019 and now expanding my business to not only become a sponsor and event host of NFW, but also launch our sister company, Innovate by Prange Apparel. This new program offers designers a complete range of product development services, including tech pack creation, pattern making, grading, and sample development.” – Megan Prange, Prange Apparel
MAKE + INNOVATE: A FASHION MANUFACTURING OPEN HOUSE AND TOUR DETAILS
Presented by Prange Apparel
Wednesday, October 13 | 4 – 5 p.m. and 5 – 6 p.m.
Location: Prange Apparel
2545 Lebanon Pike, Nashville, TN 37214
Admission: FREE ticket with registration
Two timed sessions are available to choose from beginning at 4 and again at 5 p.m. Registration is FREE and includes a NFW x Prange Apparel goody bag. Refreshments will be served featuring Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Blade and Bow Bourbon.
CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR TICKETSABOUT Nashville Fashion Forward Fund
The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee is an endowed fund that supports the next generation of fashion industry professionals with test to Middle Tennessee by providing annual financial award and resources for experiential professional development opportunities to advance the career of select local talent with demonstrated experience in a fashion-related field based on pre-established criteria.
Previous Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipients include apparel designers Van Hoang, Maria Silver, Eric Bornhop. Julianna Bass and Lauren Leonard Phelps, fashion photographer Brett Warren; accessory designer Ceri Hoover, and Elise Joseph, brand strategist and creative director.
The establishment of the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund in 2010 by the co-founders of Nashville Fashion Week was inspired by the professional development provided by the Council of Fashion Designers (CFDA) through programs such as the CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund. The Nashville Fashion Forward Fund is a component fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee that is funded with charitable donations and proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week. the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund ensures that Nashville Fashion Week is not just a signature high-profile event to celebrate creativity, but also an ongoing, sustainable focus for philanthropic support of our community. Applications for the 2021 Nashville Fashion Forward Fund will be announced in late October.
