Fashion Fusion Explodes In Brooklyn – December 11 and 12th, 2006 New York

BLACK CHURCH MEANS BUSINESS INTRODUCES 1ST FASHION TRADE SHOW

New York, NY, October 17, 2006: The lucrative business of fashion comes to Brooklyn: The Black Church Means Business Conference presents the inaugural showing of the Fashion Fusion Trade Show at the famed historic Brooklyn Museum on December 11 and 12th. Recognizing that professional Black presence in the fashion industry is almost indistinguishable, the Black Church Means Business Conference, along with retail giant Macy’s, has partnered to address key components that lead to measurable mainstream success.

The theme, ‘Vision Beyond a Season,’ appropriately encapsulates the tradeshow’s mission. Trinidadian native, Bonnie Sandy Sterling, Fashion Fusion Trade Show Chair, was unable to contain her excitement after a successful planning meeting with Macy’s executives. “This will be the first trade show and sourcing event specifically targeted to independent Black designers,” stated Ms. Sandy Sterling, CEO of Brooklyn Fashion Gallery, an online fashion publication geared towards the Black fashion community. “Our community’s buying power is critical to the fashion industry, and I am thrilled that Macy’s is on board.”

The short-term vision for the Fashion Fusion Trade Show is to create a space where individuals from all facets of the fashion industry can engage emerging Black fashion designers and entrepreneurs, as well as for trendy and expensive mainstream fashion outlets to forge a relationship with the Black community. The focus is primarily on workshops and seminars, trade exhibits and displays, and of course, a highly anticipated fashion show. Conversely, the long-term goal is to create a synergy, especially between ‘retailers’ and ‘buyers’, to later develop a professional comprehensive directory of Black fashion industry executives, designers and retailers.

Cheryl Monroe, Vice President, Supply Diversity and Vendor Development for Macy’s, welcomes the opportunity to address the retailer’s ongoing involvement with Black designers. “It is important that Black designers not feel intimidated by big retail stores,” she said. “This Trade Show is the place to learn how to successfully approach Macy’s.” Ms. Monroe is also on the panel for the ‘Supplier Diversity’ forum.

Subsequently, with the Black Church Means Business Conference serving as the trade show’s backdrop, it will further enrich the experience of participants. In the coming weeks the Fashion Fusion planning committee will unveil their plans for this two-day trade show, specifically revealing the list of the coveted twenty talented Black designers whose creations will be displayed.

The 2006 Black Church Means Business will have their official pre-conference kick-off with Bishop Noel Jones, the world-renown gospel artist Bryan Cage, the Lenox Road Baptist Church Choir, and the St. Paul Community Baptist Church Male Dancers at Calvary Cathedral in Brooklyn. For more information, contact Camille T. Barrett of Intrakk PR & Marketing at 718.886.9885 or [email protected]

ABOUT THE BLACK CHURCH MEANS BUSINESS CONFERENCE
Under the mission “to enlighten and inspire in order to transform,” Black Church Means Business Conference was launched in 1994, committed to empowering Black and underserved communities with the spiritual and economic tools for community development and sustainability. The fourth major installment, the 2006 BCMB Conference will be held at the newly renovated Brooklyn Museum on December 11 th and 12th.

Piloted by Executive Chair Rev. Dennis Dillon, CEO of The New York Christian Times newspaper and Chief Executive Minister of the Brooklyn Christian Center, a nationwide coalition of Black churches has embraced partnerships with small businesses and corporate America, as well as aspiring entrepreneurs, to present this interactive two-day forum. Providing information and guidance on starting and developing a profitable business, increasing access to commercial loans, franchising, real estate development, gaining government and private contracts, credit restoration, global markets, and a wealth of other areas, the Black Church Means Business Conference features presenters George Fraser, President of Success Source Unlimited and publisher of Success Guide: The Networking Guide to Black Resources; Dr. Farrah Gray, a young entrepreneur who became a self-made millionaire at the age of 14; and world renowned spiritual leader and author Bishop Noel Jones.