By Carol Badaracco Padgett
At a special press event and fashion show preview on the rooftop of Azotea Cantina in Atlantic Station last week on Sept. 12th, Fulton County Arts & Culture put a stunning foot forward. Its muse: the Fashion, Art, Culture & Education (FACE) initiative, which will light up Atlanta with its “20 Days of Fashion” event beginning Sept. 24 and running through Oct. 20.
At the Sept. 12 event, spearheaded by Director David Manuel and his team, Emmy Award-winning news anchor @wsbtv Karyn Greer opened up the preview event for The FACEs of Fashion – a Celestial Event and set the stage — teeing up the significance of Georgia’s emerging art of fashion as evident in Atlanta’s Fulton County.
A fashion show followed, showcasing the work of a select group of Atlanta designers, including one who participates in New York Fashion Week, another whose work appears in the Smithsonian, and still another from SCAD’s fashion program.
One of the fashion visionaries, Timeekah “Murph” Murphy, the designer of Atlanta-based streetwear brand Alani Taylor, is making her third trip to New York Fashion Week this year. Murph says, “I’m from the Bronx … fashion is big in my culture, but to be able to move to Atlanta and make myself at home, as if I never left … and to see the elevation of how fashion is becoming a lifestyle here, that is very exciting.”
Coming up on Sept. 29, a special FACE awards program will honor Atlantans making significant contributions to the art of fashion. Award recipients at the ceremony will include American singer-songwriter CeeLo Green and Georgia Entertainment‘s own Randy Davidson, who will be honored with FACE’s Education Award.
Manuel shared this about Davidson’s contributions: “Randy has educated the state on the importance of film and culture, and so I think that this light is shining so bright that we wanted to capture this moment by giving him the Education Award. Because he’s teaching all of us how to be steadfast in accomplishing what we need. He’s down at the State Capitol. He’s down at meetings — I see him everywhere. And to me, the training and the teaching he’s providing is why he’s the recipient of the Education Award for FACE.”
Learn more about Fulton County Arts & Culture and the Fashion, Arts, Culture & Education (FACE) initiative here: https://www.fultonarts.org/.
Tickets to the FACEs of Fashion: A Celestial Experience can be purchased here.
