WHO WE ARE

A diverse group of people standing outdoors in front of large letters spelling 'CADA', with an office building and trees in the background.
Classroom filled with students working on computers. A large screen on the right displays digital images of models and designs. A cork bulletin board and posters are on the wall.

WE BELIEVE THAT FASHION IS ART.

We are a collective of professionals, community leaders, entrepreneurs and parents who believe that fashion is art and should be supported in our schools. 

Our mission is to provide funding to fashion arts programs in NC and serve as the lead sponsor for the fashion and costume design program at the Northwest School of the Arts (9th-12th grades) in Charlotte. 

A woman walking on a runway in a fashion show wearing a shiny, lavender gown with cape-like sleeves, black high heels with straps, and a pearl necklace. She has curly hair tied in an updo and is holding the edges of her dress. The background features black and white curtains.
A woman with curly dark hair wearing a black, strapless, shiny dress with a full skirt, standing on a stage with string lights overhead, raising her right hand.
A woman with dark hair and a warm smile, wearing a navy blue dress and gold jewelry, sitting on a red chair against a plain light gray background.

MEET OUR FOUNDER Teresa D. Bryant

Attorney. Public Schools Advocate.Philanthropist.

A 1993 graduate of Duke Law School, Mrs. Bryant has enjoyed a lengthy and successful career practicing law throughout NC.  A passionate public schools advocate, she has served on her county's Board of Education and as a trustee at a member university of the UNC System.  Her interest in supporting the arts in public schools began in the mid-1990s when she was an attorney at a large law firm in Charlotte and the Northwest School of the Arts was first opening its doors to students. 

The mother of one, a fashion designer/fashion educator, who currently teaches at the Northwest School of the Arts, Mrs. Bryant has a great deal of experience vetting fashion education programs and opportunities for youth both in the US and abroad. Not surprisingly, she found that the top programs also had the best resources. Access to similar resources in public schools fueled her decision to form the Fashion Arts Booster!