Mellány Sánchez is a creative director from the borderlines of Queens and Brooklyn. Passionate about the history of her city, community, and their futures, she works to honor these legacies through her ongoing curatorial hero research project Aquí Me Quedo. She has also worked in wardrobe styling, brand direction and consulting.

In September 2023, during New York Fashion Week, Sánchez curated a special installation co-presented with the Tenement Museum called Objects of Permanence, which sought to spotlight the rich histories of the Puerto Rican and other migrant community labor forces in New York City’s garment industry. It featured real artifacts of garment workers on loan from the Tenement Museum alongside designs by CFDA members Emily Adams Bode Aujla, Christopher John Rogers, Elena Velez, Willy Chavarria and Maria Cornejo along with other contemporary American designers.

On Tuesday, Sánchez joined the CFDA at the 2024 American Image Awards. Here, she shares with us a glimpse into the evening from her point of view.

Mellány Sánchez

“I’m wearing a look by CFDA member Stuart Vevers for Coach. I have been loving all their leather pieces. It felt great to be in these iconic materials from the house and carry the weight of storied leather on me.

It was such a pleasure to join the CFDA table and sit with that point of view on American fashion. To me, that means celebrating the legacy of garment industry history in New York, especially how CFDA supports domestic manufacturing and designers. Being sat beside Cynthia Rowley, Todd Snyder and Michelle Ochs was a cool reminder of how much creative force we have among us.

I liked how Wes Gordon spoke about the strength of beauty within the Carolina Herrera brand, and it being a traditional Seventh Avenue label. Those were words I needed and loved to hear. And he’s right. It is easy to find beauty to be frivolous, but it’s also so necessary especially in times like today. I feel empowered by that sentiment.”