Lights, camera, fashion! A rising designer from Austin Community College District’s (ACC) Fashion Incubator saw their designs hit the red carpet of Shadow Force. Jonathon ‘Chaka’ Mahone––who was part of the inaugural cohort of the designer-in-residence program at the Fashion Incubator, designed the look worn by producer Stephen “Dr.” Love.
The film premiered Friday, May 2, at AMC Tech Ridge as part of Adisa Communications’ 30th Anniversary celebration.
“I love collaborating. You look at this piece; it came from my journey in life, and the colors came from Dr. Love. The design is about living life now, in the moment,” said Chaka. “ACC allowed me to explore. The Incubator helped me dive into what it means to me to have a brand versus just being an artist. It is a slightly different mindset, but those two things feed into each other. Seeing my potential and wanting to invest in it, ACC also led me to see what investing in myself means.”
Macy’s at The Domain was instrumental in helping with this look they provided a set that was customized for Dr. Love’s final look. Macy’s Mission Everyone campaign has partnered with ACC fashion incubator for the last 6 years. Chaka also worked with The Refugee Collective on executing the embroidery design from his original artwork.
Chaka is behind the brand NefrFresher. During his time with ACC, he also participated in ATX + Egypt Global Fashion Accelerator, which was in partnership with the U.S. State Department and the City of Austin.
Check out his red carpet look here.
The ACC Fashion Incubator provides small businesses and emerging fashion entrepreneurs with access to cutting-edge resources to help transform ideas into profitable products. Its intensive 12-month residency includes training in commercialization, product development and production, small business operations, and marketing—equipping designers with the tools to launch and sustain successful brands.
For more information, visit austincc.edu/fashionincubator.