FashioNXT Taking Stage at Tonight’s Power of the Purse Gala!
By Kyle Sosa
Friday night marks another annual Power of the Purse Gala, hosted by Girls Inc of Pacific NW, a non-profit partner of FashioNXT. Girls Inc has done inspiring work empowering young girls with programs to help them in business, entrepreneurship, and many other career paths so that these girls grow into economically independent women. Girls Inc also offers many programs to help developing girls with social and emotional struggles, as well as education on sexual development, safe sex practices, drug prevention, and more.
It has become a staple event in the Portland fashion community, billing itself as “the most fashionable gala in Portland”, and FashioNXT and its designers plays a central role in supporting the event and the organization. Each year, the Power of the Purse Gala auctions one-of-a-kind handbags envisioned by leading champions of girls empowerment, befittingly named Purs-O-nality, that turns into handcrafted piece of beauty by leading designers in the Pacific Northwest; many of them participate at FashioNXT. This year FashioNXT CEO Tito Chowdhury is a Pure-O-Nality who envisioned a workbag inspired by Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s red long coat that she has worn during her iconic meeting at White House negotiating government shutdown. The bag was co-designed by handbag brand Anabaglish and Girls Inc girl Peyton Meyers.
The event includes an auction, dinner, exhibit, and multiple pop-up shops hosted at the Hilton Hotel. Girls Inc of the Pacific Northwest serves over 125’000 girls aged 6-18, helping the next generation of women become successful leaders contributing their talents, skills, and intellect to serve the world. The magnitude of passion efforted into helping young women the work of Girls Inc marks the true spirit of philanthropy and community development.
To quote Maya Angelou’s Phenomenal Woman:
“When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.”
-Maya Angelou
The event will include handbags designed by Anabaglish, Sum Eram Ero, COLTY, Denise Tjarks and the Traveling Machine, Designs by Thor, Get Sushi Designs, House of Wolves, Looptworks, Maria Sosa, Minou-Minou, Nuciano, and Tah. Below are just a few of the handbags designed for the Power of the Purse Gala.