North Miami Fashion Merchandising Alum Earns National Airtime

11/20/19 | North Miami campus alum Denzel Parris ’16 recently enjoyed a significant slice of a spotlight while appearing as “Designer of the Day” on the Tamron Hall Show on Nov. 7, 2019. The show, created by the award-winning journalist and former Today show host, Tamron Hall, featured a week of up-and-coming fashion designers.

Parris was one of the five designers to style Hall in their designs for the day while also showcasing three more pieces during a live interview segment.

The son of St. Lucian diplomats, Parris had sketched designs long before attending the North Miami campus, starting out by drawing women’s shoes and progressing to women’s high-end fashion, as well as couture.

While attending school, Parris’ interest in becoming a designer continued to grow so much that he switched his major from Business Administration to Fashion Merchandising & Retailing.

Before graduating, Parris entered a style-off competition on campus, and although he did not win, he did catch the eye of Miami based fashion blogger, Kelly Sachs.

Sachs asked Parris to create a dress for her to wear for an event, and she was later featured in Vogue wearing the dress. The early exposure led Parris to design his first line in 2016. In the fall of 2018, he, along with former classmate Kamaria McCall, made his debut in Miami by hosting a designer showcase during Art Basel in Miami. The event brought more attention to his designs and kept his dream of becoming a fashion designer alive.

In 2019, Parris entered the North Miami campus’ Sharkfest competition as an alumni entry, placing second and winning $5,000. He used the prize money to further his business goals and bring him to the point of being ready for the exposure that comes from a nationally syndicated talk show.