EAST GREENSBORO, NC (Aug. 30, 2022) – Fourth-year students in North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s fashion design and merchandising program will gain career advice and make the connections they need to succeed in the world of luxury fashion through a landmark year-long collaboration between the show, fashion agency Harlem’s Fashion Row and luxury goods conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy.
For 10 weeks, key industry experts from HFR and luxury jewelry Tiffany & Co, part of the French conglomerate, will join the fashion class taught by Devona Dixon, Ph.D., to share practical knowledge and experiences on topics like jewelry design. , branding and innovation in a 10-week conference series called “Tenacity Talks”.
The partnership marks an innovative commitment by LVMH to support HFR’s mission to discover, mentor and showcase emerging talent of color through high-visibility, multi-platform events and project development programs.
The fashion design and merchandising program, in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, was one of three historically black college and university programs selected from across the country to participate in the series. said Brandice Daniel, executive director of Harlem’s Fashion Row. , in the first conference of the series.
“The goal of this program is to prepare all of you to enter this industry when you graduate from college, which you will be able to do because you will have gained the connections and knowledge that you need, you will have heard what it takes and you will understand it,” said Daniel .
As part of the program, select students will travel to New York City’s fashion district this fall to experience luxury firsthand with a tour of Tiffany & Co.’s flagship store and headquarters. The group of 16 students and three faculty from the program will network with Tiffany & Co. executives and participate in various seminars hosted by Tiffany’s. The relationship will continue in the spring, Dixon said.
“Many HBCU students have never been to New York or the other fashion capitals of the world, and are unfamiliar with the luxury brands it takes to be successful,” said Dixon. “This is a transformative opportunity for our students.”
The conference series marks another step in the relationship between NC A&T’s fashion show and Harlem’s Fashion Row. In June 2021, the show received a $100,000 award from clothing firm The Gap and the agency’s nonprofit arm, Icon 360, as part of their “Closing the Gap” initiative, which began in 2020 to support to color designers.
During the class on August 24, moderated by senior Jacole Davis-Evans, Daniel discussed her entry into the fashion industry and what she called “jumping off the cliff” or taking the risks necessary to achieve success. success.
“It was a dream of mine to move to New York and work in the fashion industry,” said Daniel. “When I moved to New York from Memphis, Tennessee, that was risky. That was a cliff jump. So what did I do to prepare? I started coming to New York every year to feel comfortable. Start a company from scratch? Another cliff jump. I’m cliff jumping every week, to be honest with you.”
Daniel also discussed how the industry has changed since Harlem’s Fashion Row began in 2007.
“One of the conversations that was really hard to have (back then) was race,” he said. “Brands didn’t want to talk about it, industry didn’t want to talk about it…then things started to change a little bit around 2018. A lot of articles came out, there was a lot of conversation about race.”
This growing discussion, coupled with the murder of George Floyd in 2020, was the beginning of a major shift by specialty retail, fashion and luxury brands to not only create a more inclusive workforce, but also to empower students of fashion underrepresented to work in the industry, Daniel said.
“This is where you all come in,” he said. “This is an industry that is ripe for change. And it has to change.”
Junior Mya Harris called the first session “inspiring”.
“I feel like this class will be very beneficial for us as HBCU students to hear the stories and get advice from very powerful people in the industry,” said Harris. “Brandice left us great quotes to keep us motivated.”
Dixon offered his gratitude to Daniel, HFR, Tiffany & Co. and the incoming guests.
“Thank you so much, Brandice, Harlem’s Fashion Row and everyone we’ve worked with over the summer,” said Dixon. “We will definitely take every opportunity to be able to see all of these amazing faces in New York at some point, at HFR or in some way in retailers, agencies and everywhere.”
Source: www.ncat.edu