One military spouse married her longtime love of style with a desire to support her military community by creating a virtual fashion show.
The GY6 Show, presented by First Command and Armed Forces Insurance, will feature military spouse and veteran designers. The inaugural event will be held on Valentine’s Day and also serves as a reminder for the second annual Military Marriage Day on Aug. 14.
Read: 5 ways to celebrate Military Marriage Day
Bree Carroll, production designer of the GY6 Show, is also the 2020-2021 Armed Forces Insurance Air Force Military Spouse of the Year and a marriage coach who helps her clients create a marriage that celebrates their core values. Her podcast, Hearts and Stripes, focuses on building a formidable military marriage. She, along with military spouses Corie Weathers, Maria Mendez-Reed, and Maxine Reyes, created Military Marriage Day to celebrate and strengthen military marriages. This year’s GY6 Show was created in part to remind military couples that Military Marriage Day is only six months away.
“I wanted something exciting that everyone could enjoy whether their spouse or significant other was stateside or away. Knowing New York Fashion Week would kick off the day after, I figured the concept of a virtual show may be crazy enough to work,” Carroll said.
The fashion show idea sprouted from Carroll’s love of fashion since she was a little girl.
“Growing up in New Jersey, I always loved the diversity in the people around me. Being a city bus ride away from the heart of the fashion district also gave me a love for fashion. My grandmother who passed this past year was a seamstress and I always loved when she’d make original items for me. I see fashion as a form of expression that gives you confidence.”
Carroll also sees the GY6 Show as an opportunity to support veteran and military spouse designers and event coordinators by bringing them to the forefront of the fashion industry. She relied heavily on her personal and professional resources to help her find the perfect talent for the show including Latoya Scott.
Scott is the 2020-2021 Armed Forces Insurance MCB Camp Lejeune Military Spouse of the Year, as well as the founder and owner of FTM Fashion Week, Final Touch Models, and the editor-in-chief of “Farbe Magazine.”
Carroll also connected with Military Families Magazine, Military Influencer, and Krystel Spell of Army Wife 101 to help her recruit designers and a production team. She said she hopes the show will send a message to the fashion industry to source talent from the military community, as well as encourage brand upcycling and donations to organizations like Operation Deploy Your Dress.
Although this event is completely virtual for attendees due to COVID-19 restrictions, Carroll hopes to make it an annual event with a real, live audience in the future.
“We plan to make it annually and partner with bigger brands that have shown support for our community and other veterans and [military spouses] in the fashion and beauty space,” Carroll said.
Event details for the GY6 Show
WHAT: There are four designers who will be showcased in the inaugural GY6 Show
- Damien Lee with exotic handbags
- Charliemadison Originals with jewelry
- Triple Nikel with apparel
- Michelle Collins-Windle with apparel and masks
There will also be special features with clothing from Operation Deploy Your Dress.
WHEN: Feb. 14 at 3 p.m. EST
WHERE: You can RSVP for this virtual event here.
If you are interested in learning more about the GY6 Show and how your brand could be represented next year, contact Carroll at: bree@bcarrollevents.com or visit their website.
Follow GY6 on Instagram to keep up with all the latest event details.
