Celebrity Stylist Turned Fashion School Owner and Director Celebrates South Florida Fashion Academy’s Six Year Anniversary With End-of-Year Student Fashion Show
Updated: Jun 5
Taj McGill started out as a celebrity stylist in South Florida nearly 15 years ago and since then, she has founded and scaled an innovative fashion and beauty school for middle and high school students in Fort Lauderdale. South Florida Fashion Academy (SF/FA) of Fort Lauderdale is now celebrating its sixth year of educating more than 1,000 Black and Brown talented and passionate south Florida students in Broward County. As the school year comes to an end this June, SF/FA is celebrating its leadership team and SF/FA’s milestones in fulfilling its educational mission.
Fast forward to 2024, the South Florida Fashion Academy has become South Florida's leading fashion and beauty academy for middle and high school students and is gearing up to host its Second Annual Student Fashion Show and Portfolio Review in Fort Lauderdale’s new Arts Village District at the new YMCA in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. located at 1409 NW 6th Street from 6.pm. to 9 p.m.
Seven SFFA middle and high school students will each present their own unique fashion collections in front of 200 guests at this year’s fashion show, with everyone from parents to media and local fashion influencers in attendance. “If ticket sales are any indication, this will be one of Fort Lauderdale’s most anticipated fashion events of the year, with nearly 70 percent of tickets already sold. We’re proud to support and embolden these young, creative fashion students as they lead the way as the next generation of talented fashion designers,” said Taj McGill, founder and creative director of the South Florida Fashion Academy.
This year’s student fashion designers will include Blake Sabrin, Evrose Myrtil, Gabby Isom, Khyla Beaujin, Khyla Purchas, Rosetta Smith, Selicia Robinson and Terreek Guillaume. “These emerging fashion designers have worked diligently over the last year to handcraft their own unique fashion collections and they are excited to present them to the world. Each student will present six to 8 creative fashion looks that range from sustainable upcycled fashion capsules to urban streetwear and glamorous red carpet ensembles,” McGill continued.
During this year’s event, SFFA will spotlight and celebrate one talented fashion design student with the Designer of The Year Award. The award will be presented with a scholarship by the academy’s Fashion Director, Mr. Vice. “It’s inspiring to work with these young and passionate students every day. This is why I founded the academy– to help them develop their craft and provide them with the resources and tools necessary to bring their fashion design and beauty concepts to fruition. This year’s recipient for the DOTY won’t be revealed until the night of the event, but I can say the student is quite the innovative fashion creative,” said McGill.
With live beats provided by DJ Sam Goodman and light refreshments available to attendees, Broward County’s favorite fashionistas will come together to mingle and celebrate innovative fashion and beauty as understood by the academy’s brightest students. “We’re extremely excited and proud of this year’s graduating SFFA students and what they have created– as our fourth year operating the South Florida Fashion Academy, this is a special moment for our entire team and students alike. We have now graduated 1,000 students, many of which are bright Black and Latino students. As a Black woman myself, it brings me so much joy to pour into other young Black and Brown students and help them fulfill their destiny,” McGilll continued.
McGill is a true creative who is proud to have founded and develped SF/FA into an established institute of learning and creativity. "Do it scared is a motto I've always lived by," McGill says. SF/FA offers programs in fashion design and merchandising, barbering, cosmetology, makeup artistry, skin care, nail technology, as well as business development and entrepreneurship. “Our unique programs were developed by me and my team for middle and high school students with the ultimate mission in mind: to educate, inspire, and foster a creative environment that provides advanced knowledge and useful entrepreneurial skills. Our faculty and staff were carefully curated to provide students with experienced, knowledgeable, innovative, and talented individuals that share one common goal; to birth the next generation of fashion, beauty, and business enthusiasts,” Taj McGill said.
SF/FA provides specialized beauty, fashion, and business programs for students in sixth through twelfth grade. “We’re proud to educate and guide local creative students to earn their licensing and certifications in their niche career via a multitude of electives that are informative, ultimately preparing students to succeed and earn a living in the real business world,” said McGill, who is the sole founder and Creative Director of SF/FA.
Taj McGill continued: “Our goal with South Florida Fashion Academy is help foster and develop the next set of trailblazers, with an emphasis on the Black community here in Fort Lauderdale and across greater South Florida.”
Taj McGil is the founder & Executive Director of South Florida Fashion Academy (SF/FA) who is proud to be using her past experience as a fashion stylist and image consultant to train young minds. She is a current advisory board member for the Women’s Chamber of Commerce for Miami-Dade, as well as. member of Fashion Group International Member, and active community leader who is highly respected and enthralled in the national and local fashion education arena.
McGill has dedicated her life to scaling SF/FA to provide students with an innovative quality education supported with world-renowned resources, practical skills and the confidence to be a world-class business, fashion and/or beauty professionals. She is passionate about preparing young ambitious students for professional excellence in art, fashion, beauty, and business through rigorous and adaptable academic programs and ingenious partnerships that embrace inclusiveness, sustainability and a sense of community. SF/FA’s experienced instructors teach students how to become proficient in the arts, fashion, and beauty industries with a strong focus on excelling in all necessary required academic areas mandated by the state of Florida.
Connect with Taj McGill and SF/FA
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