Posted November 19, 2017

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Nashville Fashion Alliance (NFA) recently held NFA Honors, an inaugural arts-immersive experience, dinner and awards ceremony honoring Nashville’s creative community and eight distinct members of the region’s creative class.

 

The 2017 theme was Art and Commerce: Tradition and Transformation, positioning NFA Honors as a platform to celebrate Nashville’s rich history of the arts while recognizing the growing role of fashion in Nashville’s economy.

 

The evening focused on artistic collaboration as well as economic potential, reminding attendees of the NFA’s Economic Impact Study, released in January of 2017 and conducted by Gherzi International, highlighting the importance and projected economic impact of NFA constituents; $9.5 billion and 25,000 jobs by 2025.

 

According to CEO Van Tucker, “tonight was about celebrating our community and recognizing the best in class in our fashion industry.”

 

The evening showcased a multitude of artistic collaborations, including stunning visuals directed by local design duo New Hat Projects that culminated in the creation of the beautiful NFA Honors award, sculpted by local ceramic artist John Donovan of Tenure Ceramics. Local artist Alex Lockwood created the podium, which was an art piece in its own right. Brett Douglas Hunter had sculptures on display and six video artists collaborated on a video display.

 

NFA Honors also paid tribute to Nashville’s musical creative community with former radio host Nada Taha as Emcee and a performance from love+war.

 

The 2017 NFA Honors recipients are as follows:

 

• Womenswear Designer of the Year: Ona Rex;

• Menswear Designer of the Year: Eric Adler;

• Accessory Designer of the Year: Ceri Hoover;

• Fashion Insider Award: Libby Callaway;

• Triple Bottom Line Award: Elizabeth Suzann; and

• Emerging Talent Award: Gilkey Co.

 

The NFA Board of Directors honored Steve Rendle, president and CEO of VF Corporation, with the Founder’s Award and Third Man Records with the Art & Commerce Award. The NFA Emerging Talent Award was publicly voted via the NFA website and the remaining categories were nominated and voted by NFA members.

 

NFA Honors focused on the regional role of Nashville in the new fashion economy with a community of people and companies whose vision is simple: to enable an environment in the region that makes Nashville the best place to locate and run an emerging fashion business.

 

The Nashville Fashion Alliance is a non-profit trade organization with a mission to build the regional fashion industry by amplifying early stage fashion companies with an ecosystem of support and resources.

 

Source: Nashville Fashion Alliance