ShaVi Lewis. Barbara Nitke / ©Lifetime / courtesy Everett Collection
Project Runway alum ShaVi Lewis died earlier this month. He was 38.
Lewis’ aunt Deidra DivaDoll Elkerson confirmed his death via Facebook on Tuesday, February 25, writing, “My fabulous, talented nephew, Sha’Vi Lewis, is gone from this place. I won’t hear his greetings to me anymore, ‘Hey Auntie Diva’ (yes, I am shouting).”
Elkerson asked that Lewis’ fans “please keep his mother, Joyce Solomon-Frierson, his father, Franklin Frierson, his brother, Troy Solomon Frierson, and his sister, Akira Frierson Wood, in your prayers.”
The tribute continued: “I know he is in a much better place. I can just imagine the welcome he received when he got to those pearly gates, with so many loved ones who had gone before. Oh what a time what a time he is having with his grandmothers, grandfather, uncles, aunts, cousins [and] good friends.”
Elkerson, who shared a photo collage of Lewis alongside the post, concluded, “My, my, my, [I] rest in joy nephew knowing that you left a hell of a mark on this earth!!! You will be always loved and never forgotten.”
The family did not reveal Lewis’ cause of death.
Lewis (full name Franklin ‘ShaVi’ Lewis Frierson Jr.) grew up in New Jersey before honing his craft at Clark Atlanta University. Prior to his death, the designer worked as a creative director for Italian menswear company Stephen F. and produced his own clothing collection.
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Some of his designs were featured on Emmys red carpets and on season 2 of Pose as well as on celebrities including Leah Janae and Cynthia Bailey. In 2019, Lewis gained even more fame while competing on season 18 of Project Runway.
He came in 10th place during the season, exiting the design competition during episode 6. Brittany Allen, who befriended Lewis on the series, mourned his loss on Tuesday.
“I don’t have the words. My heart aches. The world and this industry will be dim without your light in it,” she wrote via Instagram. “Your love, your laughter, and your continuous support no matter where we were in life was everything. Season 18 forever and ever. Rest in power @shavilewis. Love, your Brit Brat.”
Allen also shared a series of photos with Lewis via her Instagram Story, writing, “Hold your friends so tight. Sometimes you wonder WHEN you will see them again. Not IF you will see them again.”
“Just doesn’t feel real,” she added with a broken heart emoji.
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