All Eyes On Us: A Force Behind D.C.’s Fashion Scene

Christian Siriano Collection revealed at Pink Rocks The Runway 2011. Photo By Mahoganie Jade Browne

Today I want to post something that is probably long over due. Actually, it’s an article that I worked on, pitched to countless outlets, but no one really took a bite as it centers around D.C. and the fashion industry. There was one publication that was interested in the topic, but by the time my pitch came through the topic was already being covered in-house and due for release in their upcoming issue.

Still, I felt that it was important to tell this story so others can see that D.C. is just as serious about fashion and style as any other urban metropolitan area. As a native that still resides in D.C., I was tired of my hometown being the butt of fashion jokes from outsiders. My initial attempt with the article was to debunk the mantra that “D.C. is the Hollywood for Ugly People;” a saying for which I found to be aimed more at the political figures with celebrity-like statuses, that temporary live in the District. More importantly, I wanted to tell this story as a quasi-insider that sees the soft revolution that is going on. The article was my soft introduction to a few people making noise in the industry on behalf of D.C.

For anyone that is a native to Washington, or has lived here for at least 40 years, you already know that fashion and style are no stranger to the city. One institution that should immediately come to mind is the well known boutique Toast and Strawberries, that was owned and operated by the savvy Rosemary E. Reed Miller. Miller, originally opened the boutique right off Connecticut Ave. NW.  in the middle of the civil rights era in 1966. Later in 1995, she moved the store to Dupont Circle. Perhaps it was an act of bravery for an African-American woman to set up her own business right in the heart of the city in the middle of a tense era of segregation.

Miller in her own words on setting up shop:

“I chose Dupont Circle because I saw the many hotels, museums, bookstores and galleries located there, ” Rosemary said. “In 1966, the area was quite racially and economically mixed, however I did not know-because I was not from Washington-that blacks did not live and have businesses on the west side of Connecticut Ave. Such are the protocols of black and white America.” – Rosmary E. Reed Miller via the Toast and Strawberries website.

However, Miller sailed through, with Toast and Strawberries becoming a “must go-to” store. An array of  well known political figures, locals and Hollywood legends like  Aretha Franklin, and Heather Locklear frequented the store.  Sadly, due to the economic downturn, Miller closed her shop in 2005.

The other thing that should come to mind when putting D.C. fashion and style together is the legendary Nina Hyde. For nearly 30 years, until her untimely passing in 1990, Hyde served as the fashion editor at the Washington Post. She wrote a groundbreaking article “Black Style Comes From the Inside.” It was a look into the fashion style of local Black D.C.  as it was flashy, chic and exuded boldness. I was literally a month old with the story was published in The Post, but years later as an adult that came across this in the archives I was floored by how eloquently the story was delivered and hit it right on the head with the fashion scene in D.C during the 80s. No matter in leather, denim or in a suit, everyone was polished and it was a thing of pride.

Christine Brooks-Cropper, President of the GWFCC, making connections. Photo by Mahoganie Jade Browne

My article is centered around the Greater Washington Fashion Chamber of Commerce (GWFCC) and their mission to have the fashion industry eventually look to D.C. as one of the epic centers for resources and to be a support system for D.C.-based designers, boutique owners, fashion writers, make up artists, etc.  If the critics of Washington style have paid close attention, they would know that the GWFCC didn’t abruptly land with a billowing smoke screen and sparked a fashion revolution in D.C. with fashion shows, local designers dressing local celebrities and more. The truth is the idea of a fashion chamber of commerce – or something like it – has been a movement for the last five plus years. The movement dubbed “Fashion Freedom” was spear-headed by Christine Brooks-Cropper and Mariessa Terrell White.

Brooks-Cropper who has over 15 years of a multitude of experiences in the fashion industry and White, a freelance fashion journalist and an intellectual property attorney whose focus is on the fashion industry, formed the Washington, D.C. Fashion Council.  Together they lobbied the D.C. city council in introducing legislation to form the Commission on Fashion Arts and Events Establishment Act. The vision of Brooks-Cropper and White was to have the commission establish a fashion district in D.C. similar to Los Angeles’ Rodeo Drive or Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. The commission would also be responsible in developing programs to promote local designers and retailers, create incubator programs for students who wanted to learn and grow in the industry and brand D.C. as a fashion retail destination.

The idea that the commission would stimulate the city’s economy by bringing in fashionistas looking to spend money in D.C.’s unique retail business seemed to go hand in hand with [then] Mayor Adrian Fenty’s Retail Action Strategy; a component to Fenty’s 100 Days and Beyond plan to recapture the $1 billion District residents pour into retail businesses outside of the city. The legislation for the Commission on Fashion Arts and Events passed in April 2008, but only as an advisory commission.

By the time legislation passed, Brooks-Cropper and White dissolved their partnership to focus on individual projects. White continued her work with Simone’s Butterfly, a boutique-branding firm she founded in 2003 that provides trademark, licensing and branding services for local fashion designers and artists. White also continued her work in producing Capital Catwalk, an annual high fashion showcase she created in 2004 to benefit the mentoring program of the non-profit High Tea Society. The show features designs by native Washingtonian fashion designers and honors fashion greats such as Rachel Roy, Andre Leon Talley and D.C.’s own Tim Gunn.

Brooks-Cropper unsatisfied with the commission only being an advisory entity set out to form The GWFCC.

During my interviews with fashion industry gurus and so forth, I have to agree with them as they recognize that present day D.C. is struggling to find its sense of style again. From the locals to the “transplants” into the city, everything is meshed and it’s creating an eclectic collage. Still as the quiet revolution moves on how will D.C. come out? Will we be another New York, LA or Chicago?

All Eyes On Us
A Force Behind D.C.’s Fashion Scene
Tiffany E. Browne (nee’ Mahoganie Jade Browne)

There has been a rumble in the under belly of Washington, D.C.  It is the unfamiliar high energy music with tribal beats, designer stilettos or loafers clicking, tapping and stalking down an extended solid white walkway, the whip of a sash-shay and turn done with precision and cameras sounding off rounds of clicks and flashes.

For the last four years, this rumble has been oozing to the surface with the help of the Greater Washington Fashion Chamber of Commerce (GWFCC). The crowds that are drawn to such exhibitions are just as sophisticated and fashionable as the living presentations. The ladies are dressed in vivid shades of pinks, reds, blues and more; showing off the strapless mini dresses, some with the tulip bottom reminiscent of the 1980s, jumpsuits, flowing maxi dresses and denim dressed up with a blouse and jacket all accessorized with the perfect pair of stilettos and clutch purses. Gents are dapper dons in tailored cream, ivory, tan or black suits with open collar shirts, denim pants topped with a preppy look of a dress shirt and blazer or casual slacks with a soft pink or white polo.

One glance at such a scene makes it easy to write it off as just another fashion production with a pretentious ambition to catch up with the Joneses; the Joneses being none other than New York City, an epic center of resources and competitive opportunity for those in the fashion industry. However, the fashion shows and expos that take place in D.C. are a two-fold movement. It is a beckoning call for the industry to look to D.C. as one of the fashion epic centers. It’s also a quiet knock against what outsiders have been calling the city “the Hollywood for ugly people,” with a poll taken by Travel and Leisure magazine in which readers ranked D.C. number six as the least attractive city.

Upon hearing the “ugly” phrase Christine Brooks-Cropper, president of the GWFCC, is in disbelief.  “How can this be? We’re a powerful city. All eyes are on us,” says Brooks-Cropper

With 15 years of experience in the fashion industry, Brooks-Cropper is passionate about placing D.C. in the immediate vision of the fashion industry. Founded in 2007, the GWFCC is a support system to members of the fashion industry based in D.C. by helping them connect with the who’s who of D.C. fashion and beyond.

Grammy nominated singer Ledisi in Tashia Senn at the 2012 Grammy's. Photo courtesy of Essence Magazine Online

Fashion designer and native Washingtonian Tashia Senn has seized an opportunity in D.C. while becoming a member of the GWFCC.  In late 2009 Senn launched Tashia Senn Collections, a clothing line of high end evening wear for women, inspired by the classic and timeless look of Audrey Hepburn.  As a child Senn played dress up in her mother’s heels and pearls. She subscribed to every fashion magazine studying styles and trends. While a student at Georgetown Visitation, she altered her uniform just enough to give it a Senn flair; a turned up collar of the oxford shirt, a neatly rolled up skirt to show a little leg, but not too far to show “the business” and occasionally added accessories.

Eventually, Senn left D.C. for a time, graduating from University of Pittsburg and later headed to New York to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). She interned with accessory designer Colette Malour, and began to learn everything about entrepreneurship in the fashion industry. She freelanced as a stylist and custom designer for stage plays and dressed entertainers such as actors Allen Payne and singer Johnny Gill. Most recently she has become the designer behind Grammy nominated singer Ledisi’s latest styles as Senn provided tailor made wardrobe for the singer’s Pieces Of Me Tour and her recent look for the Grammy’s.

A faux psychic would easily predict that after graduating FIT Senn would stay in New York. Instead, bored and uninspired with the idea of being another designer thrown in the mix, Senn headed south towards home.

“New York is so saturated with designers. Everybody is or wants to be a designer. I wanted to come home and start fresh. There are a lot of new things happening in D.C. and I want to be a part of it,” says Senn.

That new thing she is noticing is a transitional shift where D.C. is becoming a cultural melting pot and perhaps one that is still trying to find its own style.

“D.C. is definitely not ‘Chocolate City’ anymore. It is becoming more diverse. There is no unique style here because you have more transplants that are here. All the styles are mixed. The community is becoming more national and international,” says Senn.

While bearing in mind the eclectic mix of people that currently reside in the city, Senn brings in elements of what the mid-20 to 40-something professional women are wearing to the company gala or what the self-made socialite is wearing to a charity tea. She fuses it with the glamour of the 1960s. Think sequins, simplistic jewels, buttons and capes with the flair of high collar drama. It’s all the melody to vibrant hues of turquoise, purple, tropical green and rustic yellows and browns.

Senn isn’t the only D.C. native who has returned home to set up shop. With a successful boutique in New York, designer and friend to the GWFCC Kenny Flanagan returned to D.C. to open a second boutique. Flanagan is the creator of KAS Collections, a plethora of high end evening, business and urban wear. As thousands gathered for the opening of Flanagan’s House of KAS at the National Harbor, he pledged to be one of the beacons to place D.C. on the fashion map. “D.C. is my home and they don’t recognize us as far as being a fashion place, but you got to understand it’s so many people that live here that have fashion,” says Flanagan. “D.C. is not just Chocolate City it’s design city.”

With over 75 members, the GWFCC is volunteer-based with no budget. There is an annual membership fee and grant funding for program initiatives. However, it is not enough to sustain the organization.

“We’re currently in the process of having corporate members as partners,” says Brooks-Crooper. “We also need more corporate sponsors. I can’t keep going on a prayer, smiles and hope,” she adds.

Outside of home base matters the GWFCC has had a hand in establishing the Congressional Apparel Manufacturing and Fashion Business Caucus. Members of the caucus along with the GWFCC hold their annual State of Style Advocacy Day in May in which they appealed to Congress to legislate the Designer Piracy Act. The Designer Piracy Act aims to secure copyright protection for fashion designers, which can knock out the knock-off fashion dealers and buyers if passed.

In 2010, members of the GWFCC headed to Peru for a fashion trade expo. Initiated by the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, the GWFCC was invited to create a business to business partnership between theU.S.andPeru. The partnership would call for design and textile trade between fashion designers in both countries.

“Everything went very well. The folks in Peru are eager to work with the folks here in D.C. and really in the States period,” says Senn who was a part of the GWFCC delegation that traveled to Peru.

In 2010 the organization also assisted with the fundraising efforts of Pink Jams, a non-profit founded by Christa Floresca that puts on a  fashion show benefiting breast cancer research. Breast Cancer survivors strut down a pink carpet runway in fashions that incorporate the color pink designed by D.C. based designers and to the guitar riffs of a live rock band. Portions of the proceeds have gone to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and the GWFCC’s non-profit D.C. Fashion Foundation; an education component that offers fashion business training workshops for local small business and entrepreneurs and provides programs for youth who aspire to be in the industry.

Though one of their goals is to brand D.C. as a fashion capital it does not mean that folks can call the GWFCC when they have a fashion crisis. The GWFCC is not in the business of telling folks to not wear leather in the summer and linen in the winter.

“Our mission is not about changing the style of D.C. We are about the trade, the business side in the fashion industry. We are a support system for local designers. We are not about stopping people in suits from walking to the subway in tennis shoes,” says Brooks-Cropper.

Portia Hood and Jennifer Fisher during the launch of the Fashion Delegate at the home of Clinton Portis. Photo by Mahoganie Jade Browne

Enter more friends to the GWFCC. Federal health care lobbyist Jennifer Fisher and her best friend Portia Hood a senior sales and marketing manager for Hilton Hotels, are the creators of Fashion Delegate. Fashion Delegate is a blog site Fisher and Hood created that features the latest trends, spotlights local fashion designers and offers readers access on where to shop in D.C. The blog also talks politics, but not on the policy front; more like what did the First Lady wear to a state dinner.

“D.C. has become a destination for young professionals. It’s is a beautiful city with beautiful people. Everyone here is smart first and then everything else falls right into place. There are a lot of sophisticates who can be conservative but can spice it up as well,” says Fisher

Another friend to the GWFCC is image consultant Robin Fisher. Fisher came to D.C. from San Francisco in 1999 bringing along her 15 plus years of experience in the fashion industry. She established and is currently the president and chief stylist of Polished, an image consultation firm. The firm offers personal shopping services, bridal styling and a wardrobe and closet sweep. However, do not compare what Fisher and her team of consultants do to the likeness of the TLC network show “What Not To Wear.”

“We’re not like the TV show where we do makeovers by taking someone whose looks are ‘blah’ and turning it into something like ‘BAM!’,” says Fisher. “My clients are people who are dealing with some sort of transition. I have the student coming out of college, or someone who is coming out of retirement back into the work force.  We’re about helping them find a personal style and not about makeovers. Makeovers may only last for a couple of months but a personal style can last forever,” adds Fisher.

While building a solid support system for D.C.’s fashion force and making the city a new fashion destination will take time, Brooks-Cropper remains passionate in her efforts. Members and friends of the GWFCC remain optimistic, including Fashion Delegate’s Portia Hood. Hood doesn’t necessarily see D.C. reinventing the wheel with fashion and style, but instead adopting to the familiar.

“I want to see not necessarily a new New York or LA, but a mixture of the two. I can definitely see D.C. incorporating both styles with the entertainment glam of LA and the artsy, chic New York look,” says Hood.

From the time I last completed the story, The GWFCC has instituted a fashion incubator. Modeled after Toronto‘s fashion incubator, the DC Fashion Incubator will provide small business development to D.C. based fashion entrepreneurs.  What’s more exciting is that the permanent location of the incubator will be in the heart of the Anacostia section of the District. The area, in particular on and around the main MLK Ave. SE corridor has been going through a wonderful redevelopment, in which Anacostia is surely coming out of the dark shell of negative stereotypes that have plagued the area for years. It’s now becoming an inviting destination for entrepreneurs to take advantage of office space rental via The Hive,  lunch at a local cafe, a good happy hour with karaoke, art exhibitions and soon an open studio space for designated fashion designers.  Designers selected for residence at the incubator have been selected and will officially be launched in Anacostia in July. 

Tagged: african-american, Christine Brooks-Cropper, fashion, GWFCC, Jennifer Fisher, journalism, KAS, Mariessa Terrell White, Nina Hyde, Polished, Portia Hood, Robin Fisher, Rosemary E Reed Miller, Simone's Butterfly, Tashia Senn, Toast and Strawberries, Washington DC, Washington Post

Posted in: regular