FASHION FORWARD

NBAF’s Fashion Forward program is an annual competition for student & emerging Fashion Designers. Selected by a distinguished panel of judges, NBAF Fashion Forward honorees receive a cash prize of $2,000 and a showcase at Neiman Marcus.

The award is open to students of African descent who are currently enrolled or have recently graduated in an accredited college or university fashion design degree program and possess leadership qualities in their personal life and professional aspirations.

The 2023 NBAF Fashion Forward honorees were presented at NBAF’s Fine Art + Fashion Benefit on Thursday, April 20th at the Atlanta History Center in Atlanta, GA.

The NBAF Fashion Forward honorees for 2023 are:

• Jakarie Akhil Whitaker is a junior at Clark Atlanta University, studying Fashion Design and Merchandising with a minor in Art and Philosophy. Originally from Flint, Michigan, he is a two-time Virgil Abloh Post-Modern Scholar (2022, 2023) and a Bridge to Basel Finalist (2022).

Whitaker is the Creative Director of the fashion brand Hikari no Yami and aspires to transcend fashion trends by creating wearable art that sparks emotion.

• Yemisi Sanni is a junior at Savannah College of Art and Design, studying Fashion Design, Marketing & Management. Her cross-cultural experiences as a transplant from Lagos, Nigeria have inspired many of her fashion ventures and aesthetics. Sanni is driven to collaborate with others in connecting cultures and using fashion as a tool to shape a more creative, sustainable, and inclusive future. She is currently the Designer/Style Artist for Stylenspire, a fashion brand offering a mix of Chic and AfroContemporary clothing for women, with a focus on delivering quality and uniqueness.

For more info on the NBAF Fashion Forward Competition, please visit: https://nbaf.org/fashion-forward

From Pre-K through 12th grade, creating opportunities for each child to thrive is

THE

WOODWARD WAY woodward.edu/visit