The Event: Baby Girls Club's Fashion Show
By J.L. Bibb
Take several dozen teenage and tweenage girls. Add a handful of volunteers. Mix in an award-winning singer. And cover it all with a vision for education and empowerment through the arts. Let it marinate for a little while, then sample…
Sound like an interesting concoction?
For five-time Dove Award winner Nicole C. Mullen and her Baby Girls Club, blending race and socioeconomic backgrounds along with a Biblical foundation is all part of a strategic recipe aimed at instilling hope and a meaningful vision for the future.
“Several years ago, my daughter, Jasmine, said she wanted us to share our lives more with girls her age,” Mullen says. “So we started a small group, hanging out with younger girls and spending time together. Over time, the group has grown, and we have girls from seven to 17 who meet. My heart really is for the at-risk girls to mix with the girls who come from secure backgrounds. I want the have’s to hang out with the have not’s. I think both can learn a lot from each other.”
A safe place…
On a random Wednesday afternoon, the girls can be found at BGC headquarters (located in downtown Franklin inside their Youth Arts and Entertainment Center) talking, laughing, dancing and hamming it up during the after-school program dubbed “Baby Girls Club.” It’s a comfortable setting orchestrated by Mullen and LaSonya Thompson, general administrator for the group.
“The whole premise behind Baby Girls Club is to develop leadership qualities and teach the girls how to use their talents,” Mullen explains. “We use the arts to empower, whether it’s through singing, dancing, playing an instrument, song writing, clothing design, even computer work and homework. In general, we want them to learn life skills and to see the world beyond their own horizons. This is a place to share, resolve conflicts, practice listening and leading. At the end of the day, we are challenging these girls to step up to the plate and be difference makers.”
The Club has been in operation for more than a decade and recently achieved 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in May 2006. To date, it has survived on the generosity of volunteers, silent donors and Mullen, herself. But as the Club expands and reaches out to more local girls, its financial needs grow. Right now, the Club features two age groups who meet on different days. The 6-12-year-olds gather together every Wednesday from 3:30-5:30, and the 12-18-year-olds meet on opposite Tuesday evenings.
“We have girls from public schools, private schools, low-income neighborhoods and upper-class developments, everywhere from Franklin to Brentwood,” Thompson says. “They really come from varying backgrounds. God has blessed this group, and we’re excited about where things are going.”
The big show…
Where things are going is into the public spotlight. Coming this February, Williamson County will get to witness one of the most unique, trendiest shows in town.
It’s the Baby Girls Club Fashion Show, and it takes place in Liberty Hall within The Factory at Franklin on Feb. 23. According to Mullen and Thompson, the show is aimed at raising support and awareness for BGC and launching Mullen’s fashion lines.
“For a long time, I’ve taken my jeans and modified,” Mullen says. “I’d take a piece of fabric that I’d like and sew it on the bottom of the pants. Later on, I’d find another piece I liked better and cut off the other and sew on the new piece. And I did this all the time, to the point that I was cutting so much that the jeans were getting shorter and shorter. And I thought, ‘I’ve gotta find a way to be able to replace these pieces without damaging the actual jean fabric.’”
And she did. It’s so inventive, in fact, that Mullen won’t discuss the actual details of how her replaceable jean bottoms work. Suffice it to say, it’s impressively creative, and a patent is pending.
“It’s interchangeable,” Mullen explains. “With one pair of jeans, you can have hundreds of looks. In a matter of 30 seconds or so, you can change the look. It’s what I do onstage, and so do the dancers who are with me. And this is exactly what we’re going to do at the fashion show. There will be a lot of interchangeability on display. This is called the ‘Outta Nothin’ I.613 line,’ where we take pre-existing items and add something new.”
The show will also feature purses and other accessories. All items are targeted at juniors and kid demographics, from size 6 kids to juniors 13-14. Of course, a portion of all garments purchased go to Baby Girls Club and a few other organizations helping at-risk girls across the globe.
Fighting the good fight…
For Mullen and Thompson, building bridges and expanding horizons is an important life’s mission. It’s something that is very close to their hearts.
“We’re giving these girls opportunities to learn about themselves and the world around them,” Thompson says. “We’re also giving them a place, each week or so that they can receive encouragement and love.”
Mullen agrees and adds, “When I was 12, God put a lady in my life named Cecilia. She was a great singer, fashionable and strong. And she took time to encourage me and invest in me. It changed my life, and I remember thinking that if it was ever my turn to give back, I wanted to be as responsible with little girls’ hearts as she was with mine. Remembering her still inspires me. You just never know what God is going to do with those seeds, but you’ve got to keep planting.”
Baby Girls Club Fashion Show
The Factory at Franklin, Liberty Hall
Feb. 23, 2008, 2-4 p.m.
Tickets cost $15.50 in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at LifeWay Christian Store in Cool Springs, www.i-tickets.com and at the BGC youth center at 251 2nd Avenue South in downtown Franklin.
For more information, contact LaSonya Thompson at 615.720.4819 or lasonya@babygirlsclub.com.
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