Small 4 Style: Galleria Dallas Hosts 2016 FGI Dallas Rising Stars Awards

Rising Stars! From left: Shane Monden, Jason Fitzgerald, LaToya Jones, James Turner, Alex Small (FGI board member, ;) only non-Rising Star on stage), Binzario Couture designers Luis Nazario and Andre Yabin, Allison Mitchell, and Jeremy Michael Calhoun

Fashion Group International (FGI) of Dallas recognized some of the brightest fashion industry stars in Dallas earlier this March. FGI is a world-wide professional organization for those who work in the fashion industry, many of whom are entrepreneurs. The 18 FGI Dallas Rising Stars nominees this year were chosen for both their fashion sense and business savvy. As usual, the Galleria Dallas was a fabulous host and Jan Strimple wowed us again with her runway show featuring Galleria Dallas retailers and the Rising Stars fashion nominees.

I'm so happy to know several of the 2016 Rising Stars nominees and admire their work. I have to give a special shout out to my friend Taylor Miller, who has run a successful business Hazen Jewelry since she was nine. She and I went to SMU together and bonded over our mutual love of fashion and business. By far the youngest of the 18 nominees recognized this year and I know we're all looking forward to following the progression of her business.

The Nominees (Winners in bold):

Fashion: Binzario Couture / Charles Smith II / Ese Azenabor
Accessories: Allison Mitchell / Jeremy Michael Calhoun / Taylor Miller

Art: JoJo Herdashey, LaToya Jones, Shawn Saumell
Interior Design: Andrew Gonzales, James Turner, Kara Legako
Make Up: Jarred Trehan / Joanna Hathcock / Shane Monden
Photography: Cameron Phan / Jason Fitzgerald / Kelly Williams

We're proud to say that FGI Dallas has some of the most involved members of the 6,000 people who are a part of FGI around the world. The whole community came out on FGI Rising Stars night to show their love and support for the fashion industry and those who keep it alive. These pictures show how fabulous Dallas fashion is, so enjoy these beautiful images by some of my favorite Dallas photographers - Thomas Garza, Danny Campbell, Quoc Cong, and Gregory Martin.