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CLEMMONS — Fashion enthusiasts will have a chance to participate in a show next week that is aiding a good cause.

Shavon Greene runs a custom tailoring business called SG Tailoring Studio and will be hosting an inaugural fashion show on Sept. 9 from 5-8 p.m. at the Village Inn Events Center in Clemmons to celebrate the launch of her women’s fall and winter collection while benefiting Fostering Faith Foundation.

“I have been doing this for a little over 17 years now,” Greene said. “I started out doing alterations for tailoring, and about 15 years ago, I had my daughter, and I started making clothing for her. That kind of bloomed into starting to make clothing for myself as well as developing my style. I really love vintage styles, so I incorporate vintage styles into modern styles. It’s a mix of modern vintage.”

Greene said on Saturday that she draws much of her inspiration from looks of the 1920s through the 1950s.  

“I have over 100 patterns ranging from the 1920s to the 1950s, and a lot of times, I don’t necessarily use those patterns to make the clothing, I use them as inspiration,” she said. “So I’ll look through them, and I draft patterns by hand.”

According to Greene, much of vintage is already incorporated into modern styles.

“We do have a lot of vintage aspects to modern clothing,” Greene said. “However, you know, the fabric that we use a lot of times is different. I use high-end wool and silk and silk satin and high-end cotton … a lot of the fabrics that I use are not the fabrics that you find in the stores today.”

Greene moved to the Clemmons area a few years ago. A friend who attended Wake Forest recommended Forsyth County to her. For the Vermont transplant, escaping to a warmer climate was not a difficult decision. 

“My last winter there, I was digging my car out of six feet of snow, and I decided that I was done,” Greene said. 

As Greene explained, the business ecosystem is also different in Vermont. 

“It’s very difficult to start a business there, just the prices are really high,” Greene said. “It’s just really expensive. So one of the reasons that I moved to this specific state is because of that, because it’s just a little easier to start a business here.”

Still, starting over in a new place presented a host of challenges. As she was considering how to build her brand locally, the idea of a fashion show popped up, and the wheels started churning. Now, less than a week out, the vision is looking like a reality.

“I have eight models and a total of 20 pieces that I’m showing,” Greene said. “So each model has one outfit, and between their outfits, some of them are wearing dresses, and some are wearing two-piece suits. Some are wearing three pieces.”

Greene has several people who will be helping to dress the models, in addition to a hairdresser, a jeweler and a make-up artist. Greene is hopeful that the event will be able to accommodate up to 200 guests.  

While the prospect of promoting her line was appealing, Greene was interested in identifying a charitable organization in the area to name as a beneficiary. As a former foster care child, Greene was drawn to the mission and work of the Fostering Faith Foundation. 

“So I got together with Tiffany (Birdsong) from Fostering Faith Foundation and spoke with her a bit about what I wanted to do,” Greene said. “I’m a former foster child … I was a teen in foster care, actually, and I was in foster care for about five years before I was adopted.”

Fostering Faith Foundation grants the wishes of children in the foster care system; while providing needed aid, resources and community outreach to foster children, foster families, kinship families, group homes and those who have aged out throughout the year.

Knowing how that can impact a person, Greene wanted to lend a hand. 

“Sometimes you’re put in a different school district, and you don’t always have the same resources that other kids do,” Greene said. 

With fashion at the forefront, Greene turned her attention to a memorable moment for many young people — prom.

“(These kids don’t have) the resources like going, taking you to a hairdresser, like being able to go get your nails done, or things like that that kids in their teens normally do to get ready for prom,” Greene said. “So I wanted to start a program, and we’re just starting it this year. We’re testing it out to help up to 10 kids with the expenses for getting ready for prom.”

Those seemingly extraneous aspects of teenage life don’t always feel superfluous to young people living through hardships. Instead, they are front and center. Greene wants to make sure that those memories are fondly remembered instead of being resented. 

To learn more about Greene’s business, visit her website https://www.sgtailoringstudio.com/, where visitors can see how her mobile tailoring studio works. 

“I go to the client. People book an appointment with me, and I drive to the client’s house or to their office and do the alterations and tailoring at my sewing shop, and then I deliver the clothing back to the client,” Greene said. “So it’s a really stress-free way for people to have their alterations done, see people, or business people who just don’t have a wholelot of time.”

Greene is still open to vendors getting on board and helping with the fashion show, so anyone interested can email her at sgtailoringstudio@gmail.com.