EAST GREENSBORO, NC (November 9, 2022) – Fashion design and merchandising students and faculty at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University have a new reason to dress up and celebrate. For the second year, the show received the top prize of $100,000 from clothing firm Gap Inc. and fashion industry nonprofit ICON 360.
The award is part of her “Closing the Gap” initiative, which provides financial support for fashion programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The award is the initiative’s largest and one of 10 awarded at that level across the country.
“NC A&T is honored to receive the top prize of $100,000,” said Devona Dixon, Ph.D, a professor in the program. “This is the second year of the Closing the Gap initiative and A&T has received the top award for the second year. We are elated!”
Gap Inc. and ICON 360, the philanthropic arm of Harlem’s Fashion Row, announced the award at a recent networking dinner attended by students and faculty from the program.
The award will be used to support students in a variety of ways, Dixon said: to provide scholarships and stipends to offset relocation costs for out-of-state internships; support fashion industry study tours; and help develop both an internal fashion-focused library and a spring student exhibit.
“We will be able to bring industry creatives and executives-in-residence to the program, as well as provide professional development support for faculty,” he said.
This award builds on the relationship begun last year with ICON 360 and Gap Inc., when A&T’s fashion merchandising and design program also received the top prize of $100,000. Since then, Harlem’s Fashion Row and other professionals in the fashion industry have started a series of lectures for fashion students; attended the show’s spring design showcase; and sponsored a trip to New York City for students in the program.
“Our partnership with Gap Inc. is important,” said Brandice Daniel, executive director of Harlem’s Fashion Row. “It provides financial awards to deserving HBCUs so they can encourage black students to innovate and advance in the world of fashion.
“North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University won this $100,000 award due to their impressive application. We saw that they have done well with their existing resources and we are convinced that they will be good stewards and use the grant to further advance their fashion program.”
ICON 360 and Gap Inc.’s commitment to helping HBCU fashion programs more effectively groom a minority talent pool for the industry is greatly appreciated, fashion program faculty members said.
“These funds will provide students with exposure and content that otherwise would not have been present in the program,” said Elizabeth Newcomb Hopfer, Ph.D., associate professor of the program. “Graduates will be prepared for competitive job placement and will be positioned to fill gaps across the industry in diverse representation.
“The continued commitment of ICON 360 and Gap Inc. is applauded and greatly appreciated.”
Source: news.google.com