Nashville Symphony has tapped designer Lela Rose to headline its 2027 Symphony Fashion Show, marking her second appearance at the annual benefit. The show is set for April 27 at Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and it continues a long run of bringing nationally known fashion names to Music City for a cause that has funneled more than a million dollars into music education in a single year alone.
The announcement comes from Nashville Symphony, which said Rose will return to Nashville to headline the event, according to Nashville Post. Rose is a Dallas-born, New York-based designer, as Nfocus Magazine has reported. The dossier notes a discrepancy worth flagging for fashion watchers: while the announcement points to her fall/winter 2027 collection for the Nashville show, Vogue's coverage of her spring 2027 runway presentation describes a different set of looks, including a hand-embroidered, lace-hemmed linen dress, so which collection ultimately appears on the Schermerhorn stage remains to be seen.
A Benefit With a Long Track Record
This isn't a one-off gala. The Symphony Fashion Show launched back in 2006, per the Wilson County Source account of the event's history, and it's presented annually in partnership with Gus Mayer, according to a Nashville Symphony press release. The 2026 edition, held at Schermerhorn Symphony Center and featuring Oscar de la Renta's Fall 2026 collection, raised more than $1 million for the symphony's education and community engagement programs, Nashville Symphony says. That same 2026 show brought in Lainey Wilson as a special guest performer and Danielle Breezy as emcee, according to the organization's event page.
Nashville Symphony says those funds go toward year-round educational and community programs, and the organization has stated that the proceeds help expand access to music education and artistic experiences throughout Middle Tennessee. Those programs have deep roots at the symphony: an earlier Nashville Symphony release noted that proceeds have also supported the Thor Johnson Scholarship Fund.
Designers Who've Walked the Schermerhorn Runway
Rose joins a roster of big names who've headlined the show over the years. Past designers have included Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Prabal Gurung and Brandon Maxwell, according to Nashville Symphony. Pamella Roland headlined the 20th annual show in 2025 with her Fall 2025 collection, the Wilson County Source reported, while Zang Toi's Fall 2021 collection anchored the 16th annual edition. Further back, a 2011 fashion show featured Marchesa.
Each year, the event has leaned on designers considered among the industry's most recognizable, Nashville Symphony has said of the show's format. Rose herself has spoken about how the pandemic reshaped her business, telling Nfocus Magazine that her company designs clothing meant for events, and during the pandemic, there were no events. She's also described fashion's broader shift toward comfort, telling the magazine that the world was already trending toward more casual dressing, while drawing a distinction between that kind of casual and sweatpants or yoga pants.
Rose's Design Identity, From Jackson Hole to the Runway
Rose's aesthetic has often leaned western, and she has discussed western influences while spending time between New York and Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Vogue noted that westernwear was less prominent in her spring 2027 collection. Rose described her overall approach to Vogue as being all about beauty, but with some sense of ruggedness and adventure. It's a sensibility that has carried her from New York runways to benefit stages like Nashville's, where organizers are counting on her name recognition to help fill the hall again come spring.
