David Manuel, director of Fulton County Arts and Culture, aims to position metro Atlanta among the world’s leading fashion hubs, alongside New York, Milan and Paris. As the visionary behind the annual Fashion, Art, Culture & Education (FACE) initiative, Manuel is spearheading the “20 Days of Fashion,” a series of events celebrating creativity and style across the city from Sept. 29 to Oct. 20.
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners established the Fulton County Arts Council in 1979 to enhance the quality of life of its denizens. Manuel masterminded FACE as a mechanism and infrastructure to further establish the county as an incubator of contemporary couture, haute couture and gaiety.
“So we wanted to create and highlight an art form that a lot of times we don’t do, and that’s fashion. Fashion is big in New York, LA Milan, but fashion is also being in Fulton County,” Manuel told rolling out. “And we wanted to create a platform and a program that really highlights, celebrates [fashion], but also bring opportunities to fashion designers [and] textile makers, [as well as] going to the schools — Atlanta schools, Fulton County Schools — and show that kids know that they can have a career in fashion.”
Also beginning on Sept. 29, Manuel and others will host a special FACE awards program that will honor Atlantans making significant contributions to the art of fashion. Award recipients at the ceremony will include rolling out publisher Munson Steed and singer-songwriter CeeLo Green.
“So 20 days he’s going to kick off September 29 with our ‘Celestial Experience’ where we’re going to honor five awardees, including mister Munson Steed is going to get the “C” award of faith, which stands for culture because Munson has created a culture with rolling out with everything else he’s been doing in the community for so many years. It’s an honor for me to honor him.”
FACE has also created once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for young and aspiring fashion aficionados that is undoubtedly going to create an ambiance where innovation and style can be harnessed and cultivated at earlier ages.
“Last year we sent two students from Clark Atlanta University to Paris to be part of Paris Fashion Week,” Manuel said. “We’re doing phenomenal things like that, because we really want to ignite the young spirit when it comes to this sort of artwork, this sort of art form.”
