NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville fashion designer is gearing up to put on her first solo fashion show, and she hopes the event will inspire other Black designers to follow their passion.
Xan Zan Xan is a Nashville native who has been designing clothes for more than 10 years. She is a graduate of both Hume Fogg High School and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is a self-taught seamstress who sews all the clothes herself.
Her latest collection dubbed “X" features unisex luxury streetwear. Xan says it shows how she has evolved as a designer.
"A lot of people who have known me for a while are just seeing this side of me," said Xan. "It will be cool for them to see what has been playing around in my mind."
All the clothes will debut at the XPERIMENT Fashion Show this weekend. Finishing touches were being put on the clothing and the stage on Friday night.
"I’m nervous. I’m excited. I’m happy," said Xan. "I am grateful because so many people have shown so much support."
While Black fashion designers currently make up a small percentage of the industry both in the U.S. and Tennessee, Xan wants to see the fashion community become more inclusive.
"There are so few things we are told we can do, and there are so many other ways for us to express ourselves," said Xan. "When we enter any industry, we have to fight for inclusiveness or we have to figure out how to build our own community that is inclusive of everyone else."
The XPERIMENT show will be held at the CE Gallery at 112 Gallatin Pike South in Madison on Saturday, Feb. 11.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door, or at https://x-fashion-show.ticketbud.com/x-fw23-fashion-show
