Norfolk State Fine Arts Professor Christy Frederick participated in the Fashion Alliance Network’s History and Legacy in Fashion panel discussion during New York Fashion Week (NYFW) last month. The panel discussed the critical need to document, preserve, and institutionalize Black fashion history, not as an afterthought, but as a cornerstone of the global fashion story.
Frederick was invited to the panel by NSU fashion alumna Martu Freeman-Parker, CEO of Fashion Alliance Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing sustainability, innovation, and collaboration in the fashion industry. The panel consisted of other fashion design professors from various universities, with notable fashion guests in attendance. “To be in the presence of notables like International icon and fashion stylist Freddie Lieba and supermodel Alva Chinn was truly amazing,” Frederick reflects.
Left: Martu Freeman-Parker, Freddie Lieba, and Frederick Right: Frederick and Alva Chinn
NSU Fine Arts students Tinisha Bean, Madison Ravenell, and Omari James interned with Martu Freeman-Parker during the Fashion Alliance Network's month-long series of events during NYFW. The students were exposed to high-level professionals in the fashion industry as well as fashion icons of color. This was an invaluable opportunity for added knowledge and networking.
“After attending this event and participating in the discourse on the panel, I have gained new knowledge and support in the form of future collaborative projects with the Marketing and Product Specialist for Pantone, Tannese Williams, to bring the world of Pantone color forecasting into the classroom,” states Frederick. “I also received interest from designers and other fashion creatives in helping NSU students prepare to be successful in the industry.”
For Frederick, participating in various events gave her the opportunity to reconnect with past students. "One of my favorite moments was meeting another of my former students, Keith Frailey, at one of the events,” she reflects. “Keith is now a fashion professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.”