What does a fashion expo in Chattanooga, Tennessee, have to do with our little region of Louisiana? Well, the visionary behind the project, Shanna Forrestall proudly hails from Gonzales.
Chattanooga Fashion Expo is a two-day-long event running Nov. 17 and 18. It features young fashion designers, makeup artists, wardrobe specialists, musicians and models from across the south. It draws professionals and semi-professionals from cities like Atlanta, New Orleans and of course, Chattanooga.
Fashion is a relatively new facet of Forrestall’s creative process. Her journey in fashion started with her friend Tracee Dundas, who founded New Orleans Fashion Week. They met while working in the film industry, Dundas as a wardrobe stylist and Forrestall as an actress. Forrestall then volunteered with New Orleans Fashion Week, and went on to work with them on and off for eight years. When Forrestall went to Chattanooga, she wanted to replicate the show.
“I love her and I believed in the platform she was making for Louisiana creatives. When I moved to Chattanooga, I was compelled to start one here because I saw so many talented people here as well, and in this region, that didn't have an outlet,” Forrestall said.
So she started her own annual fashion expo, but she took the idea a few steps further. She organized a series of educational workshops that teach creatives the ins-and-outs of the industry from creating a brand, to networking and style development.
“What I’ve done here is build something kind of based on what she was doing, which is showcasing, but also I do a lot of education, mentorship, networking. I'm looking at this whole region, going how can I activate as many creatives as possible in a positive environment,” Forrestall said.
Her second major goal with the expo besides developing young creatives is redefining the fashion industry for inclusivity.
“My designers are mostly women and people of color. I’m super open to every shape and every style and we have a lot of diversity in our productions, and I just realized that fashion is not just about clothing. It’s connected to the beauty industry so intricately that we are able to get people involved in hair and makeup and so many different things,” said Forrestall.
The Chattanooga Fashion Expo has launched several careers in its time including people like Mya Hollingsworth, who had never stepped foot on a runway prior to her first appearance in 2020, but to her surprise, the judges gave her the top model award alongside her male counterpart, Damien Kyle.
“I grew up a poor creative in Louisiana with no resources, no direction, no one took me under their wing, no one knew what to do with me because I was very intelligent and creative so they were trying to push me into medical or legal, but I couldn't do that. It took me years to figure out I’m actually a producer. My goal is to help all these twenty somethings be what I am by the time they’re 30. It took me 51 to get here but I want them here by 30. I want them to be strong and activated and engaged in their community and doing something where they wake up every day happy to do and are able to make a living at,” Forrestall said.
Forrestall initially started focusing her creative passions when the film industry came to Louisiana. She hadn’t found the right pathway for her creativity, but was enamored with film. Acting is where she started, but she eventually moved toward producing. Currently, she has five scripts in development.
“There are so many sides to me, but I consider myself a storyteller, and I do that in film, fashion and music,” Forrestall said.
Forrestall lost her husband unexpectedly in May of 2020. Since that tragedy, she started writing music, and has written 13 songs in the last two years. Her music partner, Jeff Gold ran a label called My Calm World. He specialized in creating instrumentals, but needed to add lyrics to his tracks, which is where Shanna came in. Together, they've created a whole host of content for youth and adults from children's albums to an upcoming meditation series.
“I’m a lyricist and a storyteller and all these things, so we put our talents together and all of a sudden we create all this content for kids and adults,” Forrestall said.
This collaboration opened Forrestall up to working with people on the Autism spectrum, which is something she said is close to both of their hearts. At one time, they've had up to five people on the spectrum working for them, doing everything from illustration to video editing to animation.
“That's been a fun journey as well, being able to activate these young people in their creative gifts through the process of storytelling. That's why I love creative storytelling, there's so many ways to get so many beautiful minds and creative gifts together to work on things,” Forrestall said.
Forrestall is also a writer. She started writing for “Fashion Manuscript”, a fashion magazine after they covered her fashion expo. It was this position that brought her to the Josie Music Awards and connected her with local rising star, Keely Brennan. Forrestall has a song she's been holding on to for the right person, and Keely might just be that voice.
"When I met her and she said, ‘Yeah I'm up for voice of the year,’ I was like, ‘YEAAAH! Okay I gotta hear this girl's voice.’ So I checked her out and I think she would be perfect for this song. More than that she has a great presence and a beautiful heart. Those are the things that make a song great," Forrestall said.
Forrestall is currently working on creating a studio and get-away for creatives on her land in Rising Fawn, Georgia. She foresees a place where people can develop and implement their creative ideas, whether it be music, fashion or some other industry, and a place where creatives who have made strides out in the world can come to for some needed rest and relaxation.
“Coming out of COVID, we went into such a dark season, we are still in that season in a lot of ways in our country and I think we have to go back to the basics of love and compassion and empathy. With our music, with our art and with our stories especially, I think we bring people back to a place of innocence. If we can bring people back to that place whether they are five years old, over 50 or 105, then we’ve done something magical,” Forrestall said.