MINNEAPOLIS — Fall Black Fashion Week Minnesota kicked off at 7 p.m. Friday at Glass House in Minneapolis with the Cognac Fashion Show Experience.
Natalie Morrow is the founder and CEO of the biannual fashion week. She said the first night of this season will feature runway collections from two designers and a major sponsorship deal.
"The big sponsor is Rémy Martin so it's going to be a Rémy night and an Usher night," Morrow said. "Usher is the face of Rémy Martin right now. We were trying to get Usher to come but he's in London tomorrow so maybe next time."
Morrow is also the founder of the Twin Cities Black Film Festival, which turned 21 years old this month.
"Within the film festival, we had a fashion show. It was called the Hollywood Fashion Show and it was really themed around paparazzi and film," she said. "At some point, I decided - what would it be like to have an actual fashion week?"
Now in its sixth year, Black Fashion Week Minnesota has over 10,000 followers.
The fall lineup continues Saturday, Sept. 23 with Rosé and Slay a Fashion Soirée on the Canopy by Hilton hotel rooftop. There will be four designers this time.
"It is a lot! In my head, I wake up saying designers' names and models and it will be like that for the whole week," Morrow said.
The activity picks up again next week with a Brown Girl Magic-themed fashion show on Thursday, Sept. 28 at the W Hotel in Minneapolis. The final event features Black men and will be held at the District Edina.
"We do really focus on the talent of people of color," Morrow said.
And you'll want to be in the front row for the Nails and Fashion Show on Friday, Sept. 29.
"We have seats on both sides, two rows, and then the models walk with their hands out with their nails on each side and they walk slow," Morrow said. "This year we will have judges for that."
Morrow described these two weekends of events as a team effort.
"I really appreciate Minnesota … the volunteers from models to makeup to hair," she said. "I can't thank them enough but I also want to offer them a strong platform so that people can see what they do and what we're made of."
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