By Ameera Steward | For The Birmingham Times
To mark the opening of New York Fashion Week (NYFW) on Friday, September 6, the Magic City Fashion Week team, based in Birmingham, has been invited to Fashion For Our Future — a march in Midtown Manhattan created to amplify the importance of voter registration and civic participation.
The event is hosted by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Vogue Magazine.
“I am thrilled to be included in such a historical event, especially given the current state of the country,” said Daniel Grier, MCFW president and CEO. “Our mission at Magic City Fashion Week has always been to serve as a disruptive platform for positive change, advocating for the betterment of designers and creatives.”
Since its inaugural year of 2017, MCFW had become one of the preeminent fashion events in Birmingham.
Grier founded MCFW to cultivate, connect, showcase, and provide economic opportunity to the city’s creative community through the lens of fashion. The organization emphasizes the development of emerging designers while fostering engagement with community partners to utilize fashion as a vehicle for change.
Over the years, MCFW has acquired a partnership with the CFDA providing mentorship to the MCFW team. This partnership has also allowed MCFW to create programs that connect local designers with industry leaders who provide the skills and knowledge needed to excel within the industry.
In addition to industry designers, models, retailers and students, the MCFW team has the opportunity to also bring along their interns.
“Being part of this march is not just an honor, but a responsibility. It’s a powerful statement about the role fashion can play in shaping a more inclusive and equitable future,” Grier said. “Bringing our interns along allows us to share this monumental experience with the next generation of creatives, showing them firsthand the impact their voices and talents can have.”
“This important initiative gives all of us…the American fashion industry…and everyone around the world watching…an opportunity to stand together, learn from each other, and support democracy and peace in America [as well as] across the globe,” said the CFDA Chairman Thom Browne.
“For Magic City Fashion Week, this is more than just a march—it’s a declaration of our commitment to fostering change, starting…from Birmingham,” Grier added. “This opportunity…feels like the beginning of a transformative era. We are especially proud to represent Birmingham, a city with a rich civil rights history, in this pivotal moment.”
Updated at 9:52 a.m. on 9/3/2024 to change word in the title.
