On Saturday, April 29th, at 7 pm, Stevenson University’s Fashion Design program presented their Sixth Annual Student Fashion Show! Long before the doors opened at 6:30pm, friends and family began pouring into the Inscape Theater. They lined up early outside of the theater doors, waiting eagerly with anticipation to get their seats for what would turn out to be another incredible runway show!
There were five segments in this student-produced event, all featuring original designs for men, women, and children. Garments created in the Garment Construction class hit the runway first, followed by innovative jackets crafted in the Flat Pattern II class. The audience was then introduced to “Rhythm and Style,” a collection of imaginative music-inspired garments that were created by the junior fashion design Draping II class. In partnership with Nolcha Shows NYC Fashion Week 2017, garments from the “Little Black Dress Reinvented” collection were seen strutting down the runway.
Last, but certainly not least, this year’s fashion event showcased the biggest group of senior collections to date. Eleven senior students each crafted and meticulously constructed their collection pieces using both hand and machine methods. This year’s runway production featured a spectacular assortment of marketable and wearable children’s wear, casual wear, and glamorous evening wear.
“Designing a cohesive fashion collection starts with a central idea, which will influence the choice of fabrics, design, cut, and construction. It is a labor-intensive, but rewarding process,” said Sally Di Marco, Program Coordinator of Fashion Design. “I am impressed by the artistic and professional growth of the students.”
Typically, fashion show models consist of friends and family who were recruited by the students, but this year there were 5 fabulous additional models that were brought to us by Cierra Colon, a member of Stevenson University’s PR department. Cierra worked with Special Olympics Maryland during her time at a public relations firm in Columbia before coming to Stevenson. Cierra told me that, “This year’s Stevenson University fashion show was groundbreaking for Special Olympics Maryland, as no other university in the area has included their athletes in fashion shows as models. This partnership embraces diversity, raises awareness and hopefully shows that people with intellectual disabilities are independent, vibrant, beautiful human beings that deserve inclusion into various media opportunities like modeling. I encourage people to celebrate their wonderful abilities instead of focusing on their disabilities.”
The fashion show concluded with a lovely farewell to Program Coordinator, Sally DiMarco, and afterwards guests were invited across the courtyard to the reception where they could enjoy refreshments and mingle with models and designers.
Bringing professional experience to the runway were juniors Allison K. Jones and Candace Cruise, who served as the producers of the show. Leslie Simpson, Assistant Professor of Fashion Design, and Leah Aronhime, Fashion Design Studio Manager, are the show’s advisors, supporting the entire cast in their efforts for a truly innovative show.
This was an absolutely stunning runway show and we would like to congratulate all of the students on their incredible creations!!
Please click on this link to view all of the wonderful fashion show photos!!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevensonuniversity/34271987862/in/photostream