This year’s annual fashion show, “Book it to the Runway!”, was held on Thursday, April 18 in the Aggie Lounge. Hosted by the Aggie Fashion Club, the show’s designs were inspired by literature and made with upcycled and recycled materials.
Kelley Cleary Coffeen and Insook Ahn, the professors in charge of the fashion show, opened the evening with remarks thanking attendees for their support.
“Today is a special day, as we come together to celebrate creativity and sustainability in fashion,” Ahn said.
Coffeen expanded on a focus of the show, noting that the fashion industry can contribute to environmental waste, so professionals in the field are sensitive to the potential issues that accompany the industry and “try to come up with ways to create circular systems within their companies so that they don’t impact the environment in a negative way.”
The students choose to first display designs from this year, and then showcase clothing from last year’s theme. After all of the designs were modeled, the students mingled with their supporters in the audience.
Daniela Carranco was both a designer and a model in the show. She chose to focus her design on Dr. Seuss’ book, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”.
“I think this book has a lot of meaning, not only to college kids, but a lot of people who are starting over or who are beginning a new path in their life,” Carranco said.
Her dress was composed of recycled tablecloths, wire and duct tape. She used duct tape because she was inspired by the creativity of high school students who participate in the “Stuck At Prom” challenge hosted by Duck Brand, which offers scholarships to students with the best prom outfit made of duct tape.
Alexandra Ruvalcaba, the president of the Aggie Fashion Club, submitted two entries into the show. This was her third and final time participating in the event. She remarked that since it was her senior year, she wanted to create a “really good design.” Her inspiration for her first dress came from Persephone and Hades’ story.
“I chose the red color because the story — it‘s always a love story — but I kind of saw it more as like a tragic story,” she said.
Ruvalcaba added beading to the bodice to make it look like flowers, since Persephone is the goddess of spring. She added brass elements, since many of the ancient Greek gods are depicted wearing gold garments. After creating three iterations of the design, she decided on this one.
Her second entry was inspired by The Great Gatsby. Charlize Chavez, a freshman who was one of Ruvalcaba’s models, was the first model to walk in the show. She mentioned that while she was nervous about making a mistake, her worries eased soon after the show started.
“I think I got over it once I was out there,” Chavez said.
Ahn discussed the process of creating a garment and how garments all have a story — where the past and present come together. For example, one student used a men’s suit coat and tailored it to fit her, joining the garment’s new and old story. She also remarked that it’s important for her students to research the meaning of sustainability, and how some pieces in the show were upcycled from students’ family members.
Coffeen explained how all the students prioritized sustainability in their designs, not only using materials from previous years, but also thrifting materials or using recycled materials like paper, bubble wrap, magazines, or newspaper. One of the most creative uses of recycled fashion was a dress made by a variety of tiny jewelry bags that would have instead been thrown away.
The event also consisted of many activities and incentives for viewers, including live music, free flowers, and a photo booth by the Camera Club. Sumera Nunez, a member of the Camera Club, attended the event for the first time. She mentioned that she loved both fashion and photography, so helping with the fashion show felt like the best of both worlds.
Overall, the event was a great way to bring the campus community together while shedding light on the club members’ unique and sustainable designs. Whether they were the creative and architectural minds behind the designs or modeled in the show themselves, all the students showcased their talents.
“It’s kind of what we do in fashion,” Carranco said. “We really express ourselves with our designs but also like exploring new ways of how to show off fashion.”
