Episode 9: How TFII is Changing the Future of Fashion in Texas

00:00

Welcome to another episode of Beyond Giving, the best nonprofit podcast on the Boost Network. I’m Zach, the nonprofit guy. And this week, we have such an interesting conversation with the Texas Fashion Industry Initiative, where they’re empowering new models to break into the industry in Texas.

00:21

Welcome back to another episode of Beyond Giving, the best nonprofit podcast on the Boost Network. Today, we’re talking with Alex from the Texas Fashion Industry Initiative, where she’s gonna talk about all of the things along their mission.  And yeah, so let’s start, Alex, with kind of an introduction from you and learn a little bit about your background. Like,  what is your background? It’s probably somewhere in fashion. And where that’s gonna tie into is we wanna kind of establish what led to your involvement with the Texas fashion industry. Sounds good.

00:48

So I’m Alex Main von Broek. just got married, so I added uh more  to the name,  von Broek.  But I initially got involved with them actually several years ago um when Berger D. Woods was  president. And so  I actually own a business on the corner of Jones and Broadway in San Antonio. It’s gone through its own renaissance  over there. And so  I’ve been there for a really long time. I’ve seen a lot of change. I’ve seen a lot of initiatives.

01:17

Initially,  Burgundy had approached me to see how I could get involved. I’m in makeup and hair. I own a beauty salon. um I also owned a boutique at the time called Element Boutique.  And so that was a really big thing because  it was fashion, it was makeup, it was hair. So naturally,  we were drawn to each other. So that was my initial touch point with them. But as time went on, I got nominated for an award  as Makeup Artist of the Year.

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actually got nominated three times in a row,  didn’t win, and then finally I won. um And so I just thought it was a really great organization. I love what they were doing. I’m always about helping the community and I’m always about helping artists and creatives. I’m a creative myself, so I’m always drawn to that. Awesome. And so can you tell us a little bit about what the  Texas Fashion Industry Initiative does?

02:08

how they help the community? Absolutely. So what they do is exactly that. They help the fashion community to propel themselves into that realm and really create that industry within Texas.  Not just San Antonio, but it really does branch out across Texas. Awesome. And so what types of programs and services does  TFII provide? How do they facilitate helping and promoting that community? Yeah, that’s a really great question. They facilitate a lot of things with the community through education,

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through activations, through um funding,  sponsoring,  connections.  I mean, you name it, anything that can support and help somebody um in that industry, Texas Fashion oh Industry Initiative is there for them. So  I  myself have been named educational director  this year, and I’m also fresh face director. So we’re gonna be having auditions tomorrow from five to seven at my other salon that’s located at Sakswith Avenue.

03:06

And so we’re gonna be choosing 30 models that I’m gonna take under my wing  and  I’m going to be educating them on how they can be, I guess, break into the modeling industry, know, whether it’s through commercials, whether it’s through  runway. um It’s really about finding  what someone is good at  and finding that talent. That’s what gets me really excited about Fresh Faces is because there’s so many times when I can see the potential in somebody.

03:34

And it really does take mentorship and just that person that like believes in you.  And that’s what it takes to get somebody to the next level. So those tiny little things were done for me and they really did  help me become who I am. So I’m really just paying it forward. That’s amazing. And so you experienced this type of support and now you’re giving your time back to help support other people in the industry. That type of community is really what it’s all about.  So this fresh faces initiative.

04:04

it’s to help newer models kind of break into the industry and you kind of like guide them through that process? Yes, this is for actually somebody who is not a professional. So this isn’t somebody who has a contract. This isn’t somebody who is with an agency. This is somebody who has thought about being a model, has,  you know, maybe that aspiration, that dream, um that  something inside them that they’re drawn to that industry. It is a cutthroat industry. And so a lot of times, you know,

04:34

I speak from experience. started modeling and acting when I was 15 years old.  And so I went through a lot at that time. There’s people that are not gonna believe in you. You’re gonna go to so many auditions. Usually  the way that it goes is  somebody will scout you, they’ll discover you, and then  they’ll invest money in you and they’ll really groom you and they’ll help you get into that and they’ll find you like a mother agency. And then that’s when they kind of help you land these contracts and they…

05:04

facilitate what type of model you’ll be. They might even  bring you to someone like me and we’ll do hair,  makeup, or maybe change your look, do a haircut.  Linda Evangelista, her haircut propelled her to  stardom and it really changed her look. So these types of things, they’re really important to the industry. But  what happens is,  what if somebody doesn’t believe in you, but you believe in you?

05:30

So does that mean that you should give up your dream? Does that mean that you shouldn’t be a model?  Why are you even thinking about being in that industry? So I truly believe that when you have that kind of spark inside you, that kind of dream, you’re gonna hit so many walls, you’re gonna be told no a hundred times. So you gotta get used to it.  You have to audition, audition, audition.

05:56

And  I remember that.  I was told no, I was told I shouldn’t be doing certain things and  nobody wanted to invest in me. So I invested in myself and I remember what that was like. And so  that’s what this educational program means to me and Fresh Faces means to me because  that’s what I’m going to be doing for someone else.  As long as they meet me halfway, I’m gonna be providing the information. So it’s a very personal kind of mission for you as well. yeah, absolutely. That’s awesome.

06:24

And so when you were younger, when you first jumped into  modeling and  acting, right?  What were some of the kind of challenges that you experienced? Like how you said, it’s a tough industry and we all know it’s a crazy tough industry. I think  one of the biggest challenges is the ever-changing  pulse point of what modeling  is  and what somebody says is beautiful and what somebody says is not beautiful. So, you know, in the time when I was modeling, my nose was too big.

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my hips were too big. And then of course we’ve moved through this industry and we see body positive and we see larger models and there’s a niche for them and there’s these different things that they can do. I mean, I look at my nose now, I have people who tell me like if I had a nose job, which is kind of funny and ironic  because I’m like, do you know how many people have told me when I was younger that my nose was too big? And I guess I grew into my nose. So it’s  so fickle.

07:20

And it is a really tough industry. You have to be ready to receive  so much criticism, which you can internalize and it can be one of these things where ah it breaks you. But it can also be one of the things that makes you really strong because if you stand on 10 toes and you’re like, I love my nose and I really love my hips and I believe that there is a market for this and there’s something that I can do with this, maybe you’re not the perfect person for this particular ad.

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but maybe you go down a different avenue. And that’s the way it was for me. So commercial modeling was more my realm. I was so good at it. I’m bilingual. And so I was  with Contra Artista for a couple of years, but for most of my modeling career, which was well into my thirties, I was my own, I was independent and I got all of my own contracts. got all of my own. Yeah, I got all of my own work and I was busy every week. And it’s because I was professional. It was because I was dedicated.

08:17

I made those connections. I knew how to work a room. I knew how to talk to somebody.  people wanna work with people that are great to work with and dependable. So that has taken me really far. The consistency has taken me really far. And I wanna teach that to the next generation. Yeah, and that’s so powerful because especially in that industry, When you receive, like we all receive critical feedback in different parts of our lives, but in the fashion and model industry,

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feels very personal, right? It’s your nose is not the right size or the right shape, right?  How do  you navigate that and how, especially when you did it on your own, right? You  found your contracts, you built out, carved out this kind of career in that industry with people telling you things like that. How do you navigate that and how do you take that, not internalize it in such a way that it’s damaging, but use it to propel you forward?

09:12

speak to anyone else. can only speak for myself because it is something that’s very personal. um I think anybody who’s listening to this that has experienced that, I mean even just criticism in our job or whatever, you do internalize it. You’re like, oh my gosh, but there’s two jobs. You got two jobs. You can either  internalize it and be like, oh my God, I’m gonna wither away.  Or the second job that you have is you can  use it to make you better. Whether that’s

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you know, making you a stronger person, like, you know what, I don’t agree with what they said.  Or possibly maybe where we’re needing to receive that information that someone says, hey, you want to be a runway model where you’re have to lose two inches. And you know what, that’s facts. You know, if you have to fit a certain piece of clothing that is a certain size and you don’t fit that, you can’t say,

10:07

Well, why can’t I? Well, yeah, because you don’t fit into the clothes. So if you want to do this job, then you’re need to be disciplined just the same way a gymnast is disciplined, just the same way a track star is disciplined. They really work hard  and modeling is no different. think that the modeling industry gets a lot of uh criticism because it is very surface and it can look very, um I don’t know, just,  I guess shallow.

10:37

But at the end of the day,  there are really good models and there’s very professional models. I  truly admire a lot of people in the industry.  know, Karen Mulder, Cindy Crawford. I mean, these  are people that just time and time again, if you go and read their backstories, they’re just, were like consummate professionals. And I really admire that. Yeah, that’s amazing.

10:57

And so you take a lot of this like passion and experience into your role with TFII, right? Yes. So what does a day in that role as education director kind of look like? Well, I haven’t had quite so many days. So I’m going to give you what my day was the other day. OK, that works. Because I just  stepped into this role. So it was a lot of  prep work. was a lot of um thinking out the event that we’re going to have.  I want it to be a positive experience.

11:24

Some of these girls, this is their first audition. They’ve never done this before. So I wanna teach them that they can’t be  messing around. I want to also give,  I’m gonna do a disservice if I baby anybody. So I will not be baby anybody. I am definitely going to tell it like it is. I’m not gonna be hurtful, but I’m going to be very disciplined and hey, these are the times. This is as early as you can get there. Do not be asking unnecessary questions.

11:54

When I went to auditions, I mean, I wasn’t bothering the person that was like, you know, called for the audition. would be told to leave, you know, if I bothered somebody with that kind of, you know, nonsense. So, you know, it can be a little bit disturbing at times seeing this, you know, the next generation have this type of entitlement. And we hear that all the time, but it’s absolutely 100 % true. And I’m hoping to teach

12:23

these girls’ professionalism, these  girls and guys’ professionalism and how to make a good impression and also ah read the room. Yeah, definitely. And  you said that you’d be doing a disservice if you babied them, and that’s so true. And we see that kind of in a lot of different programs, especially when people are taking people that are new to a thing, like modeling in this case, right?

12:47

and they’re all, that’s great, everything you’re doing is amazing. the parents, they’re there with the parents. Absolutely. I didn’t even put, I’m thinking, now you got me thinking, I didn’t even put that in there, but I’m like, there will be no parents hovering around. If somebody’s younger, they’re just gonna wait for them.  It’s these types of things where,  if you’re committing to this, um we do have a safe place, this is a public place, this is Saks Fifth Avenue, my salon’s in Saks Fifth Avenue, so it’s a well-known brand.

13:15

You know, just things like that where I think it’s really important to follow directions. And I think it’s super important though, because you can baby or coddle somebody at the beginning and then they will fail miserably when they’re actually exposed to what the industry is, right? If you’re not preparing them for what to expect, how are you building them up for this career? I have said this exactly to, you know, I mentor staff  in the hair and makeup industry.

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I have been told at times  that um I’m pretty harsh. And  I actually think it’s quite comical because I’m really nice. So I think to myself, wow, you know, um I’m going to have to open my mouth right now and tell them, if you think that I am actually, you know, being mean or, you know, just by telling you facts and actually giving you the information that you need to survive in this industry, then you’re going to be

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just wildly surprised and shocked when you actually go out into the industry and you get slapped in the face, so to speak,  and it’s gonna be a wake-up call. So I’m gonna look  really nice after that. So it’s just one of these things where  people don’t know what they don’t know. Yep, absolutely. And something you just said is super important as well.  You said this is a safe space, right? So in your programs, when you are sharing this information, when you are telling them,

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how you should behave in these areas. That is a safe place for them to make those mistakes. already teaching from the very beginning. So even if they don’t make fresh faces, that audition that they have under their belt and the way that it went, I’m going to  create uh an audition where they’re gonna get experience. They’re gonna slate, they’re gonna  have a number, they’re gonna have to wait, and  even just the waiting itself and being patient.

15:06

Those things are definitely, sometimes for some people learn behavior  because they don’t know how to do it. Patience is hard.  It is, yeah. Patience is hard. mean, just even before, even before we start, I have so many people like, I haven’t heard, I haven’t heard. And I’m like, you haven’t heard because there’s no info yet.  You know, you have to wait. We just close these auditions. You know, mean, there’s just these things that are just like mind boggling sometimes, you know? So yeah, I think that all of this will be a really great experience for San Antonio.

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It’ll be a really great experience for anybody that is entering into Texas Fashion Industry Initiative. And I’m just really looking forward to diving into it and see what kind of experience I get from it. always learning too. There’s never a day that goes by that I don’t learn something new. And so I want to kind of change directions just a little bit. You said you were back when you were like 15, you were interested in modeling in that area. What sparked that interest and

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Because it seems like that interest back when you were younger  kind of built this career in fashion. You own a salon, you’re working with the Texas Fashion uh Industry Initiative. You’re doing all these things in that space.  So like, what was the drive back then to do it for you? You know, I  think it probably started… We’re  going to go way back.  I had an amazing fourth grade teacher. Oh, wow.  Yeah, Mr. William Ty Hines.

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Um,  I,  I just loved him so much. He was just so like cerebral and he just like got me so excited about school. But what was really cool about him is he did this project where he was like, we’re going to do the Wizard of Oz and we’re going to have an entire production of Wizard of Oz. And he did not spare any expense. He did not coddle us. We had to do the work.

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we auditioned and everything. And it’s so funny because I just cut my hair like a boy because I was a fan of Madonna and I thought I could look like Madonna, I don’t know. And so I was like, oh my God, I just cut my hair so short, I’m not gonna be able to be Dorothy. Well, long story short, I ended up being Dorothy.  So I caught what they say is the acting bug and I just like loved it. And then my mom was like, oh God, like now I have to take her to these auditions and I have to do all this kind of stuff. And it was really funny.

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since fourth grade, that’s when I think I really was like, oh my gosh, I wanna be an actress, I wanna do this. But I think when you have those kind of aspirations and you’re a female, it naturally goes into modeling because you’re kind of taking any kind of experience that you can possibly get. So I was already investing in myself, taking…

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acting workshops, taking modeling workshops, working at Water Burger and paying for my dance classes and like, know, just really investing in myself. I even knew that back then that nobody was going to do it for me, not even my parents. I had to do it for myself. And I caught a break.  At 15 years old,  I knew Selena, the late Selena Quintanilla’s  cousin.  And he says, Alex, you Selena has a fashion line  and they’re auditioning models.  And I think you should go. And I’m like,

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Where?  Like, me the information and I’ll be there. So m it was at their offices there in Corpus Christi, Texas where I grew up. um And I went ahead and went to the audition. I walked for Martin Gomez and Selena  and I was chosen to be  one of their models. And then I went on to actually open and close the show with the designer. um Still friends.  One of my best friends is… um

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Paige  Bowler, which we walked out uh with Martin Gomez, we’re still best friends to this day. And I just saw Martin not too long ago, um they did like a Selena special and we got to revisit a lot of,  just go down memory lane and like see everything. So that was my big break. My big break was with Selena. She mentored me.  Not many people can say that Selena was their mentor. I know how incredible that is, but she  was an entrepreneur.

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So she loved fashion.  She was definitely a designer.  She taught me that  I did not have to go down one avenue, that I could be multifaceted. And it’s funny because she was before her time. So  she left me with that legacy where I was before my time because I was trying to do all these things and people would tell me, you need to focus on one thing. And I was like, no, I want to do all these other things. I want to do everything.

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And so  what’s really incredible is how you can want to do all these different things and somehow  it all comes together.  know, when I left the industry and I was like, well, I want to start my makeup and hair business. I had had, I had my children and I was tired of being in front of the camera and always on a diet and all this kind of things. So was like, you know what, I’m going to step away from the camera and I’m going to focus and start my makeup and hair company on site. And I just, really want to do this.

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I stepped away from it, but I was still kind of like one leg in, right? And people would call me and say like, Alex, can you do this commercial for us? know, can you, you know, why don’t you audition for this? I need you. So I had a leg over here and a leg over here. And one day I ended up on one of the big, this really big producer, Brenda, I ended up on her desk, pitching for makeup and hair, pitching for being talent on set. And she was like, which one do you want to do?

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because you can’t be doing this. And she was that harsh reality where she was like, you need to pick one. And I was like, yeah, that is a little confusing. So I decided to focus on building my business in makeup and hair. And that was in 2009. I started the professional’s makeup hair image. So I would do image consulting, makeup and hair on site, lot of production, work with a lot of celebrities, did a lot of shows. I actually landed a big contract with Despierta America. I was.

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doing a segment for them  called En la Cocina con las Estrellas.  And I got to work with a lot of celebrities and a lot of people internationally. was really cool. had a contract with them for like three years. It was incredible because I loved it. I missed being in front of the camera, but  then later I got the opportunity with Fox to do a beauty segment. So it’s so interesting how things come full circle and you’re able to combine those talents.

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So  my advice to anybody is just  enjoy the ride. You never know when things will come full circle and you’ll be able to use all those gifts and put them all together. That’s crazy that it all started with a fourth grade production of Wizard of Oz.  I caught the bug. Yeah, that’s awesome. And then so all of that kind of experience led into  what you’re doing for the Texas fashion industry initiative.

21:59

Aside from the Fresh Faces programs, what kind of things, what other things does the organization do in the community and how do you guys bring up these different models, especially when you’re talking about different types of models or do you focus on this particular industry in the fashion or space in the fashion industry or what does that look like? Well, that’s a really good question. We are actually going to be doing, when we do have this, there’s several parts to this question. So when we do this audition,

22:26

I am definitely gonna be set up tomorrow to be um slating people  and kind of giving them a few lines to say, because maybe they don’t work out for runway. Maybe they don’t work out for these certain things, but I think TFI would be able to utilize them. Maybe on camera, maybe that’s something that we have in the future. We have a division where there’s like, we need talent, we need like people who are hosting and, you know, doing social media and these kinds of things. So sometimes people may not,  a model may not work out for  runway.

22:55

but they could be a great hair model. They could be a great face, but they’re too short.  So modeling is,  there is so many avenues you can take in modeling. My best friend lives in New York. She’s a professional model. She just did a job with Walmart and L’Oreal. um But she is a fit model. So that’s a whole other thing that she does. um She does um some of the most well-known brands. Her body is the perfect dimensions.

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that they want for their clothing. So they pay her to come in and they basically just have her stand there and they  measure and they have her try on their samples and do all these things. And she’s  like the metric for like what a woman’s body like should be. And she’s not, you know, a size two.  She’s,  you know, she’s got curves. So it’s so interesting because there is something for everybody and you get paid very well for it.

23:51

So there’s so many different things that you can do in this industry. There’s hand models. I mean, there’s all kinds of models. So  there’s something for everybody. So we will be focusing on  finding talent, period.  Then um as we mentioned in the beginning, I am education director and I’m fresh faces. Usually two people do those jobs. So I’m combining those things. to answer the next part of that question, education,  what TFI is doing, um

24:21

for education, is they’re providing education for entrepreneurs, for fashion industry initiative,  any board members, but also anybody that wants to join. So um if you’re listening to this and you want to be a member,  definitely contact us because we do need more  people supporting more members.  I’m always looking for somebody to teach a workshop if there’s something that  can be taught to someone else and you wanna impart your knowledge. AI.

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know, marketing, branding, how to sew, how to like,  you know, get a sample,  fa- you know, how to approach the fashion district in New York, where do you get your samples made? I mean, all of these things, all of these organizations, they are there to help that designer and help that person figure out what is the course of action to get to this goal. Like, what does that look like? What does it take to scale this? So,  educational director means me.

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collaborating with other people that can impart knowledge and  share that knowledge with the people that are um coming to these workshops. so that really is the cornerstone of what TFII is, right? providing education and resources and helping people navigate that industry, which as you said, changes like very often, right? Now,  you did mention AI for a second. So I do want to kind of dig into that  just like very briefly. uh So what

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where does AI kind of plug into the fashion industry and why are  skill sets around that necessary for people that work in that space? Well, AI is such a broad term. It’s artificial intelligence, right? So that can mean chat GPT, which I think we’re all familiar with now. That can also mean  video. That can mean  artificial intelligence with apps, with the way that  something is client facing.

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So how do we get AI to help in the fashion industry? So ah I really do want to bring somebody who is an expert at AI to come and give one of the educational discourses because I think it really is important to stay informed on how things are changing and how that’s going to, you know, we want to use artificial intelligence to make things easier and better for us.

26:36

So that’s how that is incorporated into  what we’re doing. I mean, it’s really about making our life easier, not replacing, but  definitely making things better, easier, more flow. um And  yeah, I support it. I like it. It’s a little scary sometimes when you watch these videos. And I think that’s why we get kind of like a bad taste in our mouth, because we’re like, I’m watching a mermaid wash up  onto shore.

27:05

What am I watching? And some of those like deep fakes feel very real,  They’re so weird.  So we do tend to kind of correlate like AI with a little bit of like, that’s weird. But um if we can stay focused and see how we can actually utilize that in our business  and take things to the next level, then we can hone in on AI. Definitely. And so  with your entrepreneurial background running a successful salon,

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What do you think is the most important skill set that you are bringing to the people, these new models that are going through your programs? Of all the stuff you’ve learned and done as an entrepreneur. I would say probably  be ready for change. Just be ready for anything that comes your way. Be adaptable. um And  like I said before, consistency.  I want to teach people consistency. Whatever you are consistent at, whatever you do every single day.

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that is what you’re gonna be good at. So you have to be consistent. um I heard somewhere or read somewhere, I can’t remember  where I heard this, but if you do things like 20 times, you’re like intermediate level. But if you do things like 100 times, you get to like this other level. And then if you do things a thousand times, you’re like at that mastery level, right? So  when you think about things in those terms, then,

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you’re going to one audition. So you’re just not there yet. And that’s okay. So it’s about being um really  observant and self-aware.  So self-awareness is probably one of the things that I would also say is just  be self-aware and that way you can think about others before you think about yourself. You can’t go wrong with doing that. um So I think that it’s really important to,  like I said, teach.

29:01

teach this next generation um of models ah what it’s like to be in a professional environment. Yeah, that’s awesome. And you’ve kind of shined like a new light or a more open light on the industry. Like you said, like the industry gets a lot of kind of crap, right?  And I like how you’ve kind of broken down and  shown that it’s just like any other job. It’s just like any other  process, right? Now, what  are the areas where TFII is really looking for community involvement?

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people get involved and what are you guys kind of looking for? We’re looking for people who  want to take the initiative to help in the industry.  Even just when you asked me that question, I’m thinking about our board members. Our board members are made up of so many different unique individuals. We have real estate, we have PR, we have  people who work on grants.  There’s really  a broad spectrum of talent  as far as our board members.

30:00

So  I think it’s just really important to  help your community, be involved in the community. uh It’s a fun thing to be involved in, fashion, beauty,  I’m drawn to it. It’s always one of these things where people always tell me, oh my gosh, it’s so exciting. This is so cool.  But it’s a lot of work. It is a lot of work. Everybody, it looks very sexy and it looks really like  glamour and everything, but it is hard work. So you have to love.

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what you do in order to like really be good and be successful at this industry.  If anybody wants to get involved and maybe they don’t want to do as hard a work and they want to be associated with it, affiliated in any way, then please join because then you can offer some type of sponsorship of your time. um Maybe  somebody in the corporate world um is drawn to fashion and beauty, but

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you know, they have a corporate job. And so maybe this is a way that they can get involved in that. And  there’s money to be given so that we can help uh fashion designers and the fashion community that is here in Texas  and just really put ourselves on the map.  And so you’re looking for  support in terms of like people to volunteer their time to help around,  your board or your different events. yeah. There’s so many different ways that you can help.

31:27

Mentorship, mentioned Mentorship, monetary. I mean, even if somebody wants to join the board and they’re like, you know, I have something that I want to teach. um It’s really important to also understand that this is volunteer work and this isn’t for gain, for profit or for gain. So, um someone’s listening and they’re like, oh, this is so great. You know, I’m going to.

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I’m gonna be able to do this. Yes, naturally things will be organic and you’ll be able to cross promote. mean, obviously I own a salon, I own two businesses. If I put my hands  in somebody’s hair, the chances of them coming back for me to do their hair again are pretty, you know, the chances are pretty high.  So naturally those things happen.  But I think that  the human experience is all about connection.  So  we have to connect with our community. We need to reach out and

32:20

You never know what kind of opportunities that you get or the kind of people that you meet.  mean,  there’s so many times when I just feel like my soul is like rejuvenated after like I meet somebody and I’m just like,  that was so lovely. Like I feel energized  just the same way sometimes we meet somebody and we’re like, whoa, that was draining. You know, that was a  lot.

32:42

You know, so we’re energy and I think that it’s really important for us to give our energy to the things that are positive in this world. There’s so many things going on right now. And, you know, to me, this is just a way that you can give back. you know, volunteering your time with intentional focus on contributing to that positive impact that the organization like TFII is making into the community is really how we build and we scale that impact. So that’s amazing.

33:10

Where can people go to learn more about the organization and learn how to donate or get involved? How are they able to? So they can go to texasfashionindustry.org. And there they’ll be able to learn about the opportunities, the different programs you guys are working on and how they can get involved. um there’s a lot of our past fashion shows. So if you want to take a peek into like what that looks like, um a lot of our board members are on there. So you can just read through the pages and see, kind of get a feel of  who we are.

33:36

um And then definitely there’s contact information and submission forms so that you can get involved. So we’re gonna be having the Texas Fashion Industry Awards, which we’ve had in the past. That’s where you can go vote. You can  actually nominate somebody  that you want to put in the spotlight for makeup and hair. Maybe there’s somebody that you know is just doing really great things  and they’re really branching out.

34:00

And is this the award that you were nominated for? was, yeah. Oh, that’s really cool. So it really does just come full circle. Yeah, it does come full circle because I think people, you know, they’re watching us. I mean, we have access to everybody. So,  you know, people are on social media. They’re watching our stories. You know, they’re living vicariously. I know I live vicariously through, you know, a lot of people that I watch. where I’m like, oh man, that’s so cool.  I love watching, you know, different people. And so…

34:25

you never know  you could be inspiring somebody else um with their dream. So it’s just really important to, like I said, if you’re watching somebody, if you see somebody doing really great things, nominate them. And you never know, they could win the award and  we’re gonna have that this year and they can find out all the information on  our website. Awesome, that’s texasfashionindustry.org. That’s right. Perfect, well thank you so much for joining us, Alex. It was great to learn about your background and talk about the work you’re doing with the Texas Fashion Industry Initiative.

34:55

Awesome. Cool. Awesome. Thanks so much for joining another episode of Beyond Giving, the best nonprofit podcast on the Boost Network sponsored by nonprofits HQ. This episode was an amazing look at how the Texas fashion industry initiative is promoting the  fashion industry within Texas. You can learn more about the organization and how to get involved at texasfashionindustry.org or follow them on their socials. All that’s in the show notes below. Thanks for tuning in. See you next time.