Chapter 6B. Commission on Fashion Arts and Events.
§ 3–651. Establishment of the Commission on Fashion Arts and Events.
There is established a Commission on Fashion Arts and Events (“Commission”) to advise the Mayor, the Council, and the public on the views and needs of the fashion and beauty communities in the District. The Commission shall implement the following programs and initiatives:
(1) Promoting the District as a location for holding fashion and beauty events, which will enhance the District’s economic development through tourism, cultural affairs, job opportunities, entertainment, business development, and national and international exposure;
(2) Providing community initiatives to benefit school-aged children living in the District, including encouraging the pursuit of career technical skills and higher education by implementing a school-based program in the fields of fashion design, merchandising, and beauty, and offering scholarships and internships to students pursuing careers in beauty and fashion industries to help students in transitioning from school to career;
(3) Making recommendations on fashion retail development projects throughout the city, including researching and making recommendations for the development, construction, and implementation of a Fashion Retail Corridor that will serve as a centralized shopping destination featuring local, national, and international fashion designers and boutiques in the District; and
(4) Creating partnerships between the fashion and business communities that will stimulate economic development through targeted fashion marketing, workforce development, and training and business development, and reposition the District as a fashion destination.
§ 3–652. Members; procedures; meetings.
(a) The Commission shall consist of 15 members, 8 of whom shall be nominated by the Mayor subject to the advice and consent of the Council, in accordance with § 1-523.01(f).
(b)(1) There shall be 7 ex-officio, nonvoting members, including the directors or their designees of the following agencies and organizations:
(A) Washington, D.C. Convention and Tourism Corporation;
(B) Washington, DC Economic Partnership or the Office of Planning;
(C) Department of Small and Local Business Development;
(D) Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development;
(E) Department of Education;
(F) Washington Convention and Sports Authority; and
(G) Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
(2) Ex-officio members of the Commission shall have full privileges of Commission membership.
(c)(1) Appointed members of the Commission shall be residents of the District and shall include prominent business, civic, and fashion or beauty leaders with experience and understanding of the financial and organizational structure of fashion retail houses, branding and marketing, and youth education or vocational education, and who have extensive experience in the fashion industry.
(2) Appointed members of the Commission shall serve 4-year terms, with the exception that of the members first appointed, one member shall be appointed to a one-year term, 2 members shall be appointed to 2-year terms, 2 members shall be appointed to 3-year terms, and 3 members shall be appointed to 4-year terms.
(3) Members of the Commission may be reappointed.
(d) A vacancy on the Commission shall be filled in the same manner that the original appointment was made. A person appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve only for the unexpired term of the original appointment, but may be reappointed.
(e) A member of the Commission, whose term has expired, may continue to serve until a new member is appointed.
(f) The Mayor shall appoint the chairperson of the Commission from among the voting members.
(g) All members of the Commission shall serve without compensation.
(h) The Mayor may remove, after notice and hearing, any member of the Commission for neglect of duty, incompetence, misconduct, or malfeasance in office.
(i) The Commission shall develop its own rules of procedure.
(j) The Commission shall meet at least 4 times a year. The meetings shall be held in the District and shall be open to the public. A quorum to transact business shall consist of a majority, plus one, of the voting members.
§ 3–653. Powers of the Commission.
(a) The Commission shall:
(1) Serve as an advocate for fashion retailers, designers, and beauty businesses in the District;
(2) Advise and make recommendations to the Mayor and the Council concerning needs of the people of the District for fashion-design activities and concerning the development and improvement of fashion and cultural affairs programs in the District;
(3) Stimulate and encourage study and review of the status of fashion arts projects and serve as the clearinghouse for activities aimed at realizing a fashion retail corridor that will serve as a centralized shopping destination featuring local, national, and international fashion designers and boutiques in the District;
(4) Prepare and recommend to the Mayor and the Council an annual plan for fashion arts projects and events in the District; and
(5) Work with District departments and agencies, private organizations, and the fashion-design community to develop and undertake programs which will encourage maximum participation in fashion art and cultural affairs activities and which will promote greater appreciation and enjoyment of the trade.
(b) The Commission may:
(1) Nominate special advisors to serve and provide technical and expert advice on matters relevant to the functions of the Commission; provided, that decision-making shall reside with the Commission;
(2) Form task forces, as required, composed of Commission members, special advisors, and others interested in serving;
(3) Apply for and receive grants to fund its program activities in accordance with procedures relating to grants management and recommend to the Mayor and the Council applications for federal grants-in-aid to projects or productions in fashion design; and
(4) Accept private gifts and donations to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
