FIT alum, Bronx native offers a runway of fashion opportunities for kids – Bronx Times


The models take their positions. The audience sits in the aisle. And ready to conquer the runway – the children.

The fashion show, directed by Jeffrey Ampratwum in collaboration with The Graham Windham Programa New York-based nonprofit serving youth and their families, concluded its final summer show on August 18.

Ampratwum, a Bronx native, created a high school fashion program in South Bronx three years ago that strives to teach students the importance of self-image, dressing for an interview and building confidence through creative expression.

“It’s an incubator, a nurturing school for those who want to start in fashion,” he said.

Since the program’s inception, its reach has expanded from the South Bronx to various parts of the borough with the help of organizations like Graham Windham. From makeup tutorials to photo shoots to fashion discussions, Ampratwum said the lessons tap into students’ creativity, allowing them to build confidence as they mature. At the last summer fashion show, which took place in Westchester County, he said it was wonderful to see young children transformed into models, photographers and designers.

“They were really excited, happy and confident especially when they got on the track,” he said. “They don’t miss a beat.

“If I was them at the time — I probably wouldn’t know how much it would affect me later, but I could feel it. You could see it in their smiles.”

A fashion creative director and instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Ampratwum, 38, hopes to expand high school students’ knowledge of the industry and share his unconventional journey into fashion.

“That’s probably the most rewarding part of it all for me,” he said. “[The students] also feel like they’re some distance away from that – that’s great so they know what’s achievable.”

High school students pose for the camera during a recent fashion show. Photos courtesy of Jeffrey Ampratwum

He said that after the shows and lessons, students have started discussing careers in fashion.

“You’re getting all these trendy professions that aren’t thrust upon them at the high school level,” Ampratwum said. “The moment they get [to high school]they can get involved in more fashion programs after school.”

Tiffany Taylor-White, a graduate of Ampratwum’s fashion styling course at FIT, believes the innovative program prepares students for a potential career in the industry. She attended school in the Bronx, but her interest in fashion didn’t blossom until high school.

“If I think back to when I was younger — I didn’t have any influences or teachers to help me carve out my own lane in fashion or help me develop what I liked,” Taylor-White said. “I think it’s great to have him at that age.”

Born and raised in the Bronx to a single mother of Ghanaian descent, Ampratwum said opportunities to explore a career in fashion were few and far between. A creative, artistic career seemed unthinkable as pressures mounted on him to become a doctor or lawyer.

“I didn’t even think about going into fashion,” Ampratwum said.

So he completed a degree in biology and dental studies with eventual plans for dental school. But fashion continued to play a role in his life as he assisted with fashion projects, fashion shows and competitions during school.

Ampratwum soon followed his heart and abandoned his initial career. He finally traveled to Europe at the age of 31. While in Paris, he worked with creative curators and designers and curated a successful line of vintage one-piece dresses, titled House of Merlot.

South Bronx native Jeffrey Ampratwum has taken his passions and developed a program that exposes high school students to the world of fashion. Photos courtesy of Jeffrey Ampratwum

He was hooked.

Ampratwum returned to the US and immediately pursued a career in fashion, he said. He attended FIT and the New York School of Design. Since then he has collaborated with professionals such as Joseph DeAcetis, a menswear expert at Forbes, and brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior and Hermés.

Ampratwum described his work as an “anomaly, like a fashion unicorn”. He said it includes tasteful, androgynous styles for women and versatile looks, combining casual, traditional and streetwear in menswear.

But Ampratwum also continues to extend his work to children. He will cooperate with iBrainan independent, non-profit educational organization focused on students with brain injuries and brain-based disorders, to create a fashion show on September 8.

of inclusive show will open the runway for children with disabilities and brain disorders at Gotham Hall in midtown Manhattan.

As a mom and an assistant for the upcoming show, Taylor-White said she’s excited to help and give kids the chance to express themselves through fashion.

“Anyone can do anything – it doesn’t matter your age, your race, your nationality, whatever disability you have,” she said. “Celebrating these kids and dressing these kids up and just giving them their flowers and letting them know that the world is theirs means a lot to me.

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