Jarmal Harris. (Photo Credit: Don Harris/Courtesy of Facebook)
Once upon a time, 25-year-old Washingtonian-native Jarmal Harris had dreams of pursuing fashion and production and inspiring others while doing it.
His dreams came true over the last eight years with his annual fashion show, organized by his nonprofit group, The Jarmal Harris Project.
The organization, located in Washington, D.C.’s Ward 8, is a nonprofit organization that provides learning opportunities in the arts and empowerment for D.C. Youth. During the 2012-13 season, his group won the “Showtime at the Apollo” Talent Competition in Harlem and appeared on “America’s Got Talent.”
Harris’ eighth annual fashion event, bearing the theme “Once Upon A Time,” showcased designs by eight acclaimed fashion designers: Cesar Galindo, Andrew Harris, KokoNanga, Rich Kim, Jeri Wood, Ty Scott, Austin-Paul and himself. The show took place Aug. 10 at THEARC in Southeast D.C. Fashion show producer Harvey Star and Reggie Wells, a longtime makeup artist for Oprah Winfrey, attended the event.
“Once Upon A Time” told the story of a little girl with a dream of becoming a high-fashion model. Her fairy godmother guides her on her tour to prove to her that anything is possible with hard work and dedication.
“A lot of people were really impressed and had a lot of positive things to say about the show,” Harris told the AFRO on Aug. 9.
The Jarmal Harris Project presents “Once Upon a Time”. (Photo Courtesy/www.thejarmalharrisproject.com)
Youth ages 14 to 17, employed by The Jarmal Harris Project through the D.C. Summer Youth Employment Program, worked on all facets of the showcase from modeling, developing choreography and creating the show’s sets based on themes for each of the designers.
“My goal was to give these kids insight and fashion and give them a sense of accomplishment,” said Harris. “I wanted to show them that hard work pays off and it showed .”
Sherricka McGrier, 15, of Northwest D.C., worked with Harris as part of the summer program and was grateful for the experience and to see her hard work come to life.
“It was fun, because you got to experience new things that you may not have done before,” she said.
Even though she said it was hard work, she would still like to participate in this program next year.
Travon Warren, 23, of Southeast D.C., worked on The Jarmal Harris Project as a youth and was happy to attend and support Harris and the youth who put together the event this year.
“I learned so much from him ,” he said. “He makes sure you understand the work and get it done.”
The entire cast, production team and administrators and staff were all under the age of 30, according to the event’s itinerary.
VIPs mingled and networked during the pre-show event, which was followed by a press conference for the media. After the show, all attendees were treated to a reception catered by Von Der Pool Gourmet, Inc.
“Anything is possible, dreams do come true and you can’t take no for an answer,” said Harris.