originally published: 09/12/2024
(NEWARK, NJ) /PRNewswire/ -- Bold designers with unlimited creativity showcasing some of the most daring fashions to grace a runway.
It might sound like a New York City Fashion Week scene, but it's actually what happens at the Newark School of Fashion and Design, or NSFD, a high school that opened three years ago with a curriculum powered by Parsons School of Design. And now, NSFD and some of its students have been documented in a new reality TV series called "Newark Fashion Forward."
The show is scheduled to premiere at a live screening at the Newark Museum of Art on Monday, September 30, 2024 at 6:00pm.
"Newark Fashion Forward" is reminiscent of the famed fashion competition show "Project Runaway." In the series, two NSFD students host the show and present a design challenge to three teams of high school student designers who are ultimately competing for a prize worth more than $10,000. Once the students start working, they draw, plan, cut, stitch, glue, laugh, sweat, and overcome adversity to meet their deadlines.
There are celebrity judges, including Marco Hall, fashion designer; Willie Esco, sportswear designer; Misa Hylton, fashion designer and stylist to R&B and Hip-Hop artists; Mitch Gambert, Director of Business Development, Mel Gambert Shirt Makers company; Martel Francois, founder of the Look Good, Feel Good program; and Christopher Musci, Associate Professor, Parsons School of Design.
Omneya Elsoufani, who teaches apparel and textile production at the school, guides the students. There are appearances by NSFD Principal Sakina Pitts and Superintendent of Schools Roger León, who announces the winning student designers in the final episode.
"What this reality TV show does is it brings together the love and the relationships between the students and the teachers and how they support each other in their creative expression," said Superintendent León, who led NSFD's founding as part of the district's historic 10-year strategic plan. "It also presents one of the most unique high schools in the country that not only develops students' design skills but puts students in touch with exceptional professionals."
"The Newark School of Fashion and Design is one of the district's many innovative career-driven high schools, and we applaud the district's innovative efforts of raising NSFD's profile through an original reality TV production," said Board of Education President Hasani K. Council. "To see our students working together to create exciting and original fashion pieces, with the help of their teachers, makes all of us on the Board very proud."
Nate Nichols of The Pallette Group, the company commissioned by the district to produce the series, noted the comradery of young creatives.
"Everyone just really enjoys each other," said Nichols. "There's this brotherly and sisterly love that helps them get through the conflicts."
Nichols also said he was struck by the teacher's ability to connect with her students.
"The relationship between Ms. Elsoufani and the students is just so beautiful, nourishing, and so real," he said. "You can feel it through the series."
The choice of the Newark Museum of Art as the premiere's venue holds special significance. The museum reignited interest in Newark's deep connection to fashion and design through "The Story of Newark Fashion: Atelier to Runway," an exhibition that was on display from February through June. The show spanned 75 years of fashion history with works on display by Narciso Rodriguez, Stephen Burrows, Douglas Says, Melody Asherman, the aforementioned Marco Hall, and other iconic designers who are native Newarkers.
"In a very real way, holding the premiere at the Newark Art Museum where this historic exhibit was held, connects the greatness of Newark's fashion designers with the greatness that is to come through the generation of designers who are currently attending the Newark School of Fashion and Design," Superintendent León said.
The Newark Public Schools is the largest school district in New Jersey and dates back to 1676. The District currently enrolls over 39,000 students in 64 schools. After more than two decades of state operation and upon return to local control in 2018, the District has opened 10 new schools under Superintendent León's leadership with an additional portfolio of new options to be announced in the coming months and years. The Newark Board of Education serves as a beacon of educational excellence, dedicated to nurturing the potential of every student. With a commitment to innovation, inclusivity, and fostering a love for learning, the District continues to shape future generations and make a positive impact within the community.
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