NWA Fashion Week: Day 1

WORDS & PHOTO / LAURA DONOVAN

Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week officially began last night at Crystal Bridges. A panel of  artists joined together to discuss their work, dedication, and inspirations that contributed to this week’s festivities. NWA fashion creative director Robin Wallace Atkinson, Bentonville Fashion Designer NA Martin, Photographer Victor Chalfant, L’Oreal expert make up artist Jodie Franklin, and Fashion Designer Chavon Shree gave the audience a sneak peak at just how much creativity and hard work went behind the making of NWAFW. Robin Wallace Atkinson expressed how inspired she was by the amount of creativity that has come out of the Northwest Arkansas area and how so many talented artists have contributed to the week. Two of these artists, Chavon Shree and NA Martin shared with the audience some of their inspirations and how they came up with their lines. Shree exclaimed that her travels to Turkey inspired a lot of her clothing, while Martin said her main aspiration was to make comfortable, nice quality clothes for women to wear to work. While the clothes are a vital aspect to the fashion world, the presentation of those clothes are just as important. Victor Chalfant is a skilled fashion photographer, who also doubles as a college professor. He expressed how he gained inspiration from his students, and translates what he teaches in the classroom to his photoshoots. Jodie Franklin, a makeup artist for fashion week, shared that his favorite part about being involved in fashion week is making people feel beautiful and appreciated. Overall, Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week is proving to be the place to be in  the Northwest Arkansas area, and will surely be a memorable weekend for all involved.