Canal Place Launches Inaugural Style Board Initiative

March 22, 2018 (New Orleans, LA) – Canal Place, New Orleans’ premier shopping destination situated on the edge of the historic French Quarter, is proud to launch Style Board, a new student-focused initiative aimed at providing opportunities for local Louisiana college students to become involved in the decision-making process of the fashion industry.

Style Board’s goal is to provide a platform for an exclusive group of students (Style Board members) interested in fashion merchandising, design, marketing, communications and social media to directly influence the services and offerings of Canal Place; and to offer the opportunity for Style Board members to meet and learn from New Orleans fashion industry insiders (Style Board mentors).  

“We hope that the Style Board will be a way for Canal Place to provide Louisiana college students with hands-on fashion-industry experience outside of your traditional internship opportunities, and most importantly, introduce these students to one another, as well as industry leaders who can guide them and foster a community built around conversations of what style and fashion mean in the greater sense and what it means here in New Orleans,” Canal Place General Manager Lisa Manzella explains.

Style Board’s programming will center around seasonal meet-ups focused on different industry-related topics including fashion design, marketing and branding featuring local industry professionals as well as exclusive opportunities to participate in Canal Place events as well as a final design and marketing project.

Canal Place’s Style Board mentors were chosen based on their varied professional experience and their status as an admired member of the New Orleans fashion community. Style Board mentors will help lead the Style Board programming and guide the students on their path towards a career in the fashion industry. Canal Place is pleased to announce that the following industry leaders and fashion influencers will serve as the inaugural Style Board mentor team:

• Tracee Dundas, New Orleans Fashion Week Founder
• Reagan Charleston, Jewelry Designer and cast member of Southern Charm New Orleans
• Angelle Marix, Blogger, Dashing Darlin’
• Michelle West, Blogger, Actor and Model
• Caitlyn Milligan, Blogger, Milligan Movement      

“I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as a mentor for the inaugural Style Board,” says New Orleans Fashion Week Founder, Tracee Dundas. “We are looking forward to creating robust programming for the Style Board members, furthering the foundational knowledge of these talented and impressive students, and encouraging them to go forth and contribute to the economic growth and creative spirit of the New Orleans fashion industry.”                                                                     

Canal Place is pleased to announce the Inaugural Style Board Class of 2018. Style Board members were chosen from a pool of more than 60 highly-qualified applicants from fashion merchandising, mass communications and marketing programs from Universities across the state of Louisiana. The final 25 members stood out based on their industry experience, extracurricular activities, personal projects and personal essays. The Class of 2018 Style Board members represent students from Dillard University, Louisiana State University, Loyola University New Orleans, Southern University, Tulane University and Xavier University of Louisiana. Congratulations to the following Style Board members, class of 2018.   

Alan Harding, Southern University
Andre Francois, Louisiana State University
Ashley Wheat, Louisiana State University
Caroline Brainard, Louisiana State University
Claire Plauche, Louisiana State University
Cydney Stevenson, Xavier University
Danielle Cavalier, Louisiana State University
Divya Patel, Louisiana State University
Elizabeth Hotard, Louisiana State University
Esabel Williams, Louisiana State University
Isabel Gutierrez, Tulane University
Janae' Hurst, Dillard University
Jourdan Clark, Dillard University
JuWan Torregano, Louisiana State University
Katie Brunet, Louisiana State University
Lauren Faine, Loyola University
Meagan Todfield, Tulane University
Morgan Johnson, Loyola University
Natalie Tate, Louisiana State University
Paige Goff, Louisiana State University
Pooja Lalwani, Louisiana State University
Priscilla Lustig, Louisiana State University
Taj Dright, Xavier University
Tamera Haynes, Dillard University
Tess Rowland, Loyola University