Students from Swainsboro, Georgia have fashions that everyone will want to stick to

June 17, 2009 - PRLog -- On Thursday, August 13, 2009, 33 of the students from Swainsboro High School, located in Swainsboro, Georgia, will be present in the War Memorial Building to display their take on fashion with the creative use of duct tape.

The students have received their notoriety from television coverage, interviews, and just by being sustainable and fashionable all within the same circle.  

Sharan Nixon, Founder/CEO of Butterfly Productions has been watching their creative success since 2007.  Not knowing previously how she would include their talents into her production of Baltimore Fashion Week, she realized after reading an article in the New York Times that this was her sign to make it happen this year for the student designers.  After she read the article she contacted the reporter who wrote the article, and the rest is history.

Nixon was quick to get to the bottom of who she needed to contact to get the students to Baltimore, Maryland for this event.  Once she reached her contact Dabney Edenfield (the Duct Tape Project Coordinator), Nixon knew she hit the jackpot and it was just a matter of time before the students would be able to showcase their duct tape collection nationally.
“I was absolutely excited to speak with Dabney Edenfield, we are friends now, so I just call her Dabney.  We talked for hours on the phone just to figure out how we could get the students here.  I mentioned to Dabney that I would do whatever I could do on my end,” stated Nixon.

Nixon made several phone calls to various airlines pleading her case and the students’ case with hopes that someone would be able to donate tickets.  But with Butterfly Productions or Baltimore Fashion Week, not being a non-profit it was hard to seek donations.  Funding for the entire event for Baltimore Fashion Week is derived from Nixon’s personal savings.  

“The light at the end of the tunnel was truly becoming dark.  I finally got up enough nerve after trying consistently, to tell Dabney that the airlines was not able to assist with donations to get the student designers from Georgia to Baltimore and I did not know what to do.  I mentioned to her maybe next year we can make this happen for the students”, stated Nixon.

But to her surprise Edenfield already spoke to the students, and they were elated about the idea of participating in a fashion week, yes Baltimore Fashion Week.  Now Nixon knew she could not cancel and had to move forward with her original plans no matter what the cost.

The race was on between Edenfield and Nixon to get the students to Baltimore for Baltimore Fashion Week.  The students in Georgia held fund-raisers to make sure they made it to showcase their collection in Baltimore Fashion Week.  Nixon started her search to see what she could do on her end to find comparable hotel deals for the students and it was extremely important to Nixon to keep the students close to the Inner Harbor.  

Well, after several weeks of planning the students will finally be participating in Baltimore Fashion Week.  “I was in tears when I heard the final word that 33 of the student designers were coming from Swainsboro, Georgia to participate in an event just on an invitation alone.  I remember being in the grocery store when Dabney called me, I was so excited” stated Nixon.

Nixon arranged for the students to stay at the Holiday Inn – Inner Harbor for a reasonable rate of $99.00 per night.  33 individuals from Swainsboro, Georgia (population of 7,535 as of 2007 – information provided by www.city-data.com) will be arriving to BWI airport.  
“I did not care what I had to do, but I had to do whatever needed to be done on my end (Baltimore) to make sure that the student designers got here from Georgia.  It will be an absolute honor and pleasure to meet them at the airport, at the gate when their plane lands and to welcome them to Baltimore”, stated Nixon as she began to tear up.  
Stuck On Your Fashions (the name created by the student designers) will be showcasing on Thursday, August 13, 2009, during the runway production of “Interchangeable Prisms.”
Tickets are available online through the website www.baltimoresfashionweek.com , by clicking on the tab “TICKETS – FASHION WEEK.”

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Baltimore’s Fashion Week, LLC, the city’s annual premier fashion showcase, is managed by the event team of Butterfly Productions. Lead by Sharan Nixon, Butterfly Productions has created runway shows, workshops and other events that highlight local artists and provide affordable, accessible outlets for promoting the region’s fashion talent. In celebration of its community, Baltimore’s Fashion Week returns a portion of its proceeds to organizations selected for their accomplishments on behalf of Baltimore’s residents and communities. Learn more at www.baltimoresfashionweek.com.