Angela Watts is an Atlanta tastemaker who always dreamed of working in fashion and bringing fashion week to her hometown. The dream became a reality in 2006. Since it’s inception 18 years ago, ATL Fashion Week has blossomed into an annual moment in Atlanta culture. Rolling out discussed ATLFW with Watts, who founded the growing affair.
What made you start ATLFW?
It’s always been a dream of mine to work in fashion. However, I was not a fashion designer. And as I was exploring opportunities for myself, eventually I did come across marketing and PR … And then I learned more about Fashion Week in New York. And then it just, you know, occurred to me that Atlanta did not have a fashion week, and it was an opportunity to create something here that would support the talented creators that we have in the market.
What was the hardest part of creating ATLFW?
It’s just getting people to even trust that Atlanta has passion and that Atlanta has the ability to produce and create shows that … could be globally recognized.
Why didn’t anyone try to start an ATLFW before you?
I’m not going to say that it was not anybody here before me. Actually, there were some people that were … before me … But I’m not sure why the brands did not grow. That’s something I can’t answer, but there were definitely … a lot of different attempts to create the shows, for sure.
Do you feel like Atlanta is still a trendsetter in the fashion world?
Atlanta, at this time, yes, we do still set trends. We’ve been setting trends for a while. You know, music was a big part of that. And then as we continue to grow and as we continue to, we grew in that discipline when we grew in film and television, obviously, fashion and even the arts. It’s just the natural iteration of that that’s coming along.
What’s something you love that you’ve seen come out of ATLFW?
My favorite thing is building partnerships with retailers like Bloomingdale’s because not only are we producing our shows, but we’re also giving independent brands an opportunity to … grow their business. So, and it’s a pipeline that we’ve built for a while that has definitely changed [their] lives. And that’s what I appreciate.
