Fulton County aims to stand in the fashion spotlight alongside New York, Paris and Milan, but that’ll take a lot of work.
Local designers and promoters, in partnership with the county, are planning a major event here in 2024 in hopes of attracting worldwide attention to Atlanta style.
A preview will come Sept. 16 at the High Museum of Art: the FACES of Fashion Gala with designs on display, performances, art auction, dinner and cocktail party that backers say will be studded with VIPs.
And the introduction to the FACES of Fashion Gala came Thursday at a county-hosted reception on the patio of One Flew South — BeltLine.
The annual Met Gala in New York City generates $887 million a year, according to David Manuel, director of the county Department of Arts & Culture.
“I know we can do something huge, close to that,” he told the crowd of several dozen designers and media outside One Flew South. Manuel predicted Atlanta’s high-fashion status would take off within two years.
The FACE project began in 2022 after Manuel met with Fulton Commissioner Natalie Hall; they credited each other for the idea. It kicked off in September 2022 with the FACE Experience, showcasing local work at “fashion forward” events throughout the county, according to Erica Miller, public affairs manager for Fulton County.
Jenni Girtman
Jenni Girtman
The initiative also seeks to prepare high school students for careers in arts and fashion. Manuel said they want to involve young people from many communities. And it doesn’t stop with high school: as part of FACE, two Clark Atlanta University students will be sent to study fashion in Paris, he said.
One designer at Thursday’s event was Timeekah Murphy, known as Murph, owner of The Lab clothing manufacturing and retail, and creator of the Alani Taylor fashion brand — named after her daughter.
Alani Taylor, born in 2016, has modeled her mother’s designs in Miami and Los Angeles, Murph said.
“And then again she’ll be doing it on the 16th,” she said, referring to the FACES of Fashion Gala.
Murph said she has often worked with Lisa Nicole Cloud, who brought her into the FACE orbit. For the Sept. 16 show, Murph plans to focus on Roman- and Gothic-inspired designs with a red, white and black color scheme, she said.
“This is probably going to be one of the biggest fashion shows that they’ve done here,” Murph said. It will feature pieces from the Lisa Nicole Collection, Tracy Nicole Clothing, Miguel Wilson Collection and London Couture, as well as Murph’s Alani Taylor.
Jenni Girtman
Jenni Girtman
Cloud, a TV star, production manager and founder of the Lisa Nicole Collection clothing line, said Atlanta has developed as a Mecca for other arts and entertainment but that producers in those fields, when working here, often bring in outsiders for fashion design.
Now government, local fashion brands and entertainers are working together to raise the profile of local designers, many of whom already have established brands, she said.
“We’re getting ready to do something unprecedented in Atlanta,” Cloud said.
The upcoming gala will recognize many Atlanta-area residents who have made big contributions to fashion, she said.
The Sept. 16 gala will start at 7 p.m. at the High, 1280 Peachtree St. NE. Tickets range from $100 to $4,000, and are available at facesoffashiongala.com.
“Everyone who has a love and passion for fashion should be at this event,” Cloud said.
Jenni Girtman
Jenni Girtman
About the Author
