Letter from Founder & Executive Director, Melissa Lea Beasley
Hello and Welcome to New Mexico Fashion Week!
We look forward to seeing you April 13-17, 2016 in Albuquerque for our second annual event. New Mexico Fashion Week is hosted by the Albuquerque Apparel Center, its parent company. Albuquerque Apparel Center represents 25 years in the fashion industry. It is organized and managed by industry professionals with degrees in-field, from fashion design to merchandising, promotions, public relations, and academia. AAC also hosts NMFashionInfo.com, a directory catered specifically to New Mexico. NMFW and AAC provide an arena in which creative talents and the entrepreneurial spirits of New Mexico fashion industry individuals and businesses can flourish.
The Fashion Industry is the largest consumer goods industry in the world, and the business and employment possibilities it presents to New Mexicans are endless. Our mission is to build an INDUSTRY for the State of New Mexico. To that end we promote, distribute information, provide assistance, cultivate job skills, and help create employment opportunities for New Mexicans. Together, our team of industry professionals are changing the way New Mexico thinks about fashion!
New Mexico Fashion Week is not affiliated with any other fashion weeks throughout the state of New Mexico.
In 2016, New Mexico Fashion Week is expanding and will include the following:
1. Fashion Expo, Saturday and Sunday, at which consumers can meet and buy from designers and local retailers.
2. Fashion Conference, Saturday afternoon, at which participants meet and learn from the best in industry about merchandising, marketing and social media, modeling, and much more!
3. Saturday evening runway show featuring the best designers throughout New Mexico and the country.
4. "Fashion As Art" sculpture competition, bridging the Art and Fashion communities together.
5. As a reflection of our dedication to the community and the younger generation, we are inviting local schools to participate in the sculpture competition as well as other aspects of NMFW.
A little bit about my background...
I have 25 years of experience in various areas of the fashion industry. I graduated from the International Academy of Merchandising and Design in Chicago, winning numerous awards for my designs, including both top awards at Fashion Group International’s 1998 design competition: Best of Show and The Rita Johnston Scholarship. I was then able to study abroad and travel extensively throughout parts of Europe.
I completed an internship alongside Manuel Cuevas – Rhinestone Couture Designer of The Entertainment World - at his couture house in Nashville, Tennessee. I assisted in creating stylish masterpieces for several high profile artists including Brooks and Dunn, Porter Wagner, and the late Johnny Cash.
I joined the faculty as Associate Professor of Fashion Design and Merchandising at IAMD, and subsequently at O’More College of Design in Franklin, TN. While at O’More I led the expansion of the fashion design department, as well as revamping of the curriculum and program. In addition to teaching fashion and merchandising courses, I team-taught holistic wellness retreats with the college president. During this time I earned a computer-aided pattern drafting certification from Gerber Technology in Atlanta Georgia, which I in turn used to teach this subject at O’More. I was the only Gerber Girl in the state of Tennessee.
At present I am a Fashion Design instructor at Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe NM. I am very happy to be in New Mexico, and have made it my permanent home. I have a deep and abiding love for NM, its people & culture, and enjoy helping people succeed. I live in Albuquerque, a few blocks away from my beloved Route 66.
In addition to New Mexico Fashion Week and the Albuquerque Apparel Center, I engage in the design of custom clothing, fine art jewelry, and photography. I am also a member of the New Mexico Route 66 Association, and am a worldwide ambassador for the Mother Road.
At the Albuquerque Apparel Center, we expand our focus of Fashion Week to include ongoing consultation, training, and other services to support fashion-related businesses in the Land of Enchantment. We also feature our NMFashionInfo.com directory, and our flagship event, New Mexico Fashion Week.
Thank you for your interest in New Mexico Fashion Week and the Albuquerque Apparel Center. We hope to meet you soon!
We look forward to seeing you April 13-17, 2016 in Albuquerque for our second annual event. New Mexico Fashion Week is hosted by the Albuquerque Apparel Center, its parent company. Albuquerque Apparel Center represents 25 years in the fashion industry. It is organized and managed by industry professionals with degrees in-field, from fashion design to merchandising, promotions, public relations, and academia. AAC also hosts NMFashionInfo.com, a directory catered specifically to New Mexico. NMFW and AAC provide an arena in which creative talents and the entrepreneurial spirits of New Mexico fashion industry individuals and businesses can flourish.
The Fashion Industry is the largest consumer goods industry in the world, and the business and employment possibilities it presents to New Mexicans are endless. Our mission is to build an INDUSTRY for the State of New Mexico. To that end we promote, distribute information, provide assistance, cultivate job skills, and help create employment opportunities for New Mexicans. Together, our team of industry professionals are changing the way New Mexico thinks about fashion!
New Mexico Fashion Week is not affiliated with any other fashion weeks throughout the state of New Mexico.
In 2016, New Mexico Fashion Week is expanding and will include the following:
1. Fashion Expo, Saturday and Sunday, at which consumers can meet and buy from designers and local retailers.
2. Fashion Conference, Saturday afternoon, at which participants meet and learn from the best in industry about merchandising, marketing and social media, modeling, and much more!
3. Saturday evening runway show featuring the best designers throughout New Mexico and the country.
4. "Fashion As Art" sculpture competition, bridging the Art and Fashion communities together.
5. As a reflection of our dedication to the community and the younger generation, we are inviting local schools to participate in the sculpture competition as well as other aspects of NMFW.
A little bit about my background...
I have 25 years of experience in various areas of the fashion industry. I graduated from the International Academy of Merchandising and Design in Chicago, winning numerous awards for my designs, including both top awards at Fashion Group International’s 1998 design competition: Best of Show and The Rita Johnston Scholarship. I was then able to study abroad and travel extensively throughout parts of Europe.
I completed an internship alongside Manuel Cuevas – Rhinestone Couture Designer of The Entertainment World - at his couture house in Nashville, Tennessee. I assisted in creating stylish masterpieces for several high profile artists including Brooks and Dunn, Porter Wagner, and the late Johnny Cash.
I joined the faculty as Associate Professor of Fashion Design and Merchandising at IAMD, and subsequently at O’More College of Design in Franklin, TN. While at O’More I led the expansion of the fashion design department, as well as revamping of the curriculum and program. In addition to teaching fashion and merchandising courses, I team-taught holistic wellness retreats with the college president. During this time I earned a computer-aided pattern drafting certification from Gerber Technology in Atlanta Georgia, which I in turn used to teach this subject at O’More. I was the only Gerber Girl in the state of Tennessee.
At present I am a Fashion Design instructor at Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe NM. I am very happy to be in New Mexico, and have made it my permanent home. I have a deep and abiding love for NM, its people & culture, and enjoy helping people succeed. I live in Albuquerque, a few blocks away from my beloved Route 66.
In addition to New Mexico Fashion Week and the Albuquerque Apparel Center, I engage in the design of custom clothing, fine art jewelry, and photography. I am also a member of the New Mexico Route 66 Association, and am a worldwide ambassador for the Mother Road.
At the Albuquerque Apparel Center, we expand our focus of Fashion Week to include ongoing consultation, training, and other services to support fashion-related businesses in the Land of Enchantment. We also feature our NMFashionInfo.com directory, and our flagship event, New Mexico Fashion Week.
Thank you for your interest in New Mexico Fashion Week and the Albuquerque Apparel Center. We hope to meet you soon!
Warmly, Melissa Lea Beasley Founder and Executive Director 505.803.6966 melissa@abqapparelcenter.com newmexicofashionweek.com albuquerqueapparelcenter.com newmexicofashioninfo.com |