On April 23rd, rising UNCG senior Gordon Holliday swept Terry Melville’s 2nd Annual THE BETTY CREATIVE AWARDS, taking both first and second places with his fashion designs.
The concept behind his winning garments? “The future ballerina in 3030.”
Melville, former VP and fashion director for Macy’s New York, founded The Betty Creative Awards in Greensboro as a competition, fashion show, exhibit, and lecture series, with the aim of cultivating Greensboro universities’ creative talents.
This year, The Betty Creative Awards partnered with The Cemala Foundation and Cone Denim to present “DREAM BIG: Denim & Degas.” The creative collaboration celebrated the Cone family’s impact on Greensboro – highlighting not just the Cone brothers’ denim empire but also the Cone sisters’ renowned collection of art.
Fashion students from UNCG and NC A&T were challenged to create dresses using Cone denim and taking inspiration from Degas, one of the artists the Cone sisters collected. The fashion show, exhibit, and awards ceremony took place at historic Revolution Mill, originally one of the first Cone denim mills. UNCG students, recognized by Melville at the ceremony, also played a major role in organizing the event. Melville named Liam Cameron, Aleah Metzger, Sarah Dickerson, Arianna Ortega, Erin Carter, Trinity Draughn, and recent graduate Morgan Rigsbee as members of her “Dream Team.”
“This is what economic and community engagement is all about,” said event attendee and UNCG Associate Vice Chancellor for Economic Engagement Bryan Toney.
Denim and Degas was Holliday’s third fashion show. In addition to pursuing a degree in photography with a concentration in retail studies and working as a graphic designer under the Campus Activities and Programs Board, the busy undergraduate is a ThinkHouse U fellow. As a participant in the action-learning residential environment that focuses on helping emerging entrepreneurs, Holliday is developing a freelance business and his own brand – ROOLĒ.
“My style comes from the retro styles of the 70s and 80s blended with modern contemporary men’s wear and women’s wear for the confident outsider,” says Holliday.
