2022- A Year in Review
2022 was Creatives Want Change’s biggest and most productive year yet! Along with sending 25 students to pre-college programs, we also had multiple virtual and in-person events, our goal of increasing the number of Black youth starting their careers in fashion and hopefully one day, becoming leaders within the fashion industry.
To start the year off we hired our first full-time employee, Namasha Schelling, our program director. Namasha’s extensive experience running nonprofit agencies helped CWC evolve. We were able to build deeper relationships with our Fellows and our corporate and educational partners. Closely following our Fellows enabled us to further assist them by providing around-the-clock advice and assistance.
CWC Program Director Namasha Schelling
In 2022, CWC Fellows attended pre-college programs at our 7 partner fashion design schools around the country, both remotely and in-person. During our virtual student orientations, a CWC representative was there with the Fellows, informing them of our commitment to helping them succeed. We also held virtual office hours twice a week in case any of the Fellows needed additional help or information or simply wanted to talk to someone.
Some CWC Fellows during our 2022 trip to JoAnn’s Fabric Store to receive free sewing machines and supplies
2022 was the second consecutive year in which we held a journal entry competition for our Fellows. Every CWC Fellow must document their progress over their tenure in their pre-college program. The journal entries are a way for us to gauge our Fellows' progress, but it also helps students see the fruits of their labor. The top 3 completed journal writers received a prize, and the winner in 2022 earned an iPad!
One design of our 2022 journal entry winner, Aja King.
At the end of the summer, we hosted a career panel with fashion industry leaders at our sponsor brands, like we did the previous summer as well. Our Year 2 Fellows got the opportunity to ask personalized questions and connect with executives and directors at Spanx, Vogue Magazine, Skims, PacSun, Calvin Klein, and Yeezy.
Some of the faces at our 2022 career panel
In the fall of 2022, we matched 23 of our Fellows with mentors who are leaders in the fashion industry. Our mentorship program helps our students gain confidence while increasing their industry knowledge. The program also gave our fellows a network of colleagues before they even enter college. This levels the playing field, enabling our Fellows to compete with their more privileged counterparts.
With the help of our pre-college and mentorship programs, 8 of our Fellows were admitted into undergraduate fashion design programs. This displays the power and importance of Creatives Want Change. Our programs change lives by offering resources to an overlooked community of talent.
At the end of the year, we held our first-ever online fundraiser, with the goal of raising $10,000. We managed to raise over $8,000 solely with email and social media campaigning, validating the love and backing we have from our followers and supporters.
2022 is only the beginning, with the continued support of our donors and advocates CWC will continue to change the lives of young Black Designers. Creatives Want Change is proud to serve as an educational pipeline for young Black design talent to accomplish their dreams. By providing pre-college programs, mentorships, internships, and scholarships, CWC is a conduit to solving the diversity problem in the fashion industry.
