After a semester of hard work sketching designs, finding fabrics, sewing patterns, and creating garments, the Advanced Fashion Design Studio students are finally able to display their designs at South’s Fourth Annual Fashion Show, Melissa Pfister, Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Fashion Teacher, said. The models showcase the couture on the runway, with just under 40 designs and 13 total designers taking part in this year’s show, commemorating the success of the semester-long project, Pfister said. The show will take place on May 19 in the Lyceum at 7 p.m., Pfister said. Every student creates their own theme for two or more garments and creates a vision board that correlates to that design, Pfister said. The project encompasses all of the second semester students, but students from first semester are welcome to participate in the fashion show, Pfister added.
“It was always a goal of mine to have an opportunity for students to showcase their work in a fashion show,” Pfister said. “We created an opportunity to have this ultimate capstone for students where they get to go through the entire fashion design process from start to finish.”
The semester started off with students thinking of what inspires them, and bringing that inspiration to Vogue Fabrics—a retail store known for their variety of cloth—in Evanston, Pfister said. Students have a $50 budget to spend on fabrics, Pfister said. From there, students create sketches of their garments and put together ideas, Pfister said. Students learn new sewing and designing skills, and encapsulate their progress into their garments, Pfister said.
“I love this fashion show because it is the perfect culminating experience for students,” Pfister said. “It is a capstone that allows them to step back and see all of their hard work presented in a professional way. It really captures what it is like to be a fashion designer.”
Making the outfits also gives room for creative freedom, junior Bailey Kramer, Fashion Studio Design Three student, said. Kramer is creating a New York themed collection that will contain more monochrome and classy elements. However, the process of creating them has proved difficult, Kramer said.
“I just finished one of my tops and it feels really good because I struggled trying to do different things,” Kramer said. “I feel like I always end up messing up something. So when it finally is all done and finished, it just feels really good.”
By improving their skills at the fashion show, students are also able to grow personally, senior Alex Arey, Fashion Studio Design Five student, said. Arey is doing a collection titled Spread Your Wings and Fly, inspired by the Tinker Bell Fairies, a connection to her childhood, Arey said. Arey is challenging herself to make four garments instead of the required two, she said. She is proud of herself and the works she has created throughout the years, and feels confident in her abilities, especially considering all of the time put into the designs, Arey said.
“Creating the garments challenges my thinking because I have to be patient and just know that I am going to have a product,” Arey said. “Even if the process is hard, I am going to have something I am really proud of.”