June brings string of art and fashion functions to Northwest Arkansas
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Northwest Arkansas has a wide collection of fashion-focused arts events and runway shows throughout the month of June.
Driving the news: Springdale-based fashion nonprofit Interform is hosting Assembly, a series of community exhibitions and events in Springdale and Bentonville, in conjunction with Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week, which is set for June 8-10.
Why it matters: Interform wants to make NWA a hub for apparel production and design.
What they're saying: "We think that art and fashion are both creative expressions that are working on the same driving instinct, which is to explain to people who you are, to explain to the world how you want to show up in it and how you want to self-represent," Interform CEO Robin Wallis Atkinson told Axios.
Background: Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week and Arkansas Arts and Fashion Forum merged in 2021 to establish Interform.
- Fashion Week returned last year after a pandemic-induced hiatus and Interform piloted a miniature version of Assembly in 2021.
Zoom in: This year's series will bring together 60 artists and designers in about a dozen exhibitions and additional retail pop-ups at venues such as The Medium in Springdale, according to a news release.
- Fashion Week will take place at The Momentary, spotlighting designers involved in Interform's residency program, Emerge. (Get tickets.)
- Meanwhile, Interform will present a runway show at a Juneteenth celebration hosted by Music Moves, the University of Arkansas, and the Community Cohesion Project — dubbed the Freedom Festival — on June 17.
- In honor of Pride Month, a runway show focusing on LGBTQ fashion throughout history is scheduled for June 30 at The Medium.
What's next: The plan is for the month-long Assembly to coincide with Fashion Week on even-numbered years and ultimately to host two fashion weeks during odd-numbered years, Atkinson said.