We caught up with fashion design students and faculty from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis to tell us what to expect at the 88th Annual WashU Fashion Show.
Eight seniors will showcase their collections Sunday, April 23 at Third Degree Glass Factory. The designs encompass a wide range of wearable items made from conventional and unconventional materials—including a dress entirely made out of balloons.
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“It is a culmination of our four years working here, and everyone has been thinking about and talking about their collection since they decided to be a fashion design major,” says Helen Kwon. She was inspired by light streaming through the airplane window on a long flight, which she often takes to visit her family in Korea. Kwon developed a novelty textile from confetti to capture the light reflection from her inspiration.
Abbey Maxbauer created a line of clothing for dogs and their pet owners. “It started off lighthearted, but then I realized there is a market out there for this. People really do want to incorporate their pets into their lives.” Her collection incorporates dog tags and dog chains as embellishments. Maxbauer says “dogs are a tough act to follow,” which is why her collection will show last.
Claire Thomas-Morgan, the faculty member directing the show, is herself an alumna of the program. “This year is the first year [the students] have gotten this much time to really explore whatever they want,” she says. “In the past, it was done in mostly the last few months of school. It was very rushed, and they did not get necessarily enough time to get into it and make revisions.”
The class started with research in the fall, and they explored their collection during the school year. “Most of the projects up until senior year are focused on skill building, and we create one outfit per project,” says fashion student Emily Rubin. “Senior year you kind of have free range, and it has been really fun.”
Three designers will receive awards following the event. The Dominic Michael Silver Scissors Designer of the Year Award is bestowed on the student who has exemplified overall excellence in their craft and concept. Alumna Susan Sanders Block of The Designing Block will present The Silver Ripper Award.
When Block was a student, she spent a lot of time seam ripping and redoing her mistakes, so this award honors a student who has put in a lot of time and shown advancement. The Saks Fifth Avenue Honorary Designer Award is given to the designer who shows potential as a young brand, and the winner’s work will be displayed for two weeks in the store.
Hair stylists will be led by Dominic Bertani of the Dominic Michael Salon, and the makeup will be done by Randi Nicole. Shoes are provided by Sam Edelman. A reception following the show will provide viewers the opportunity to meet the designers and view their work up close. Also on display at the event will be shoes made with 3-D printing, a project made in collaboration with an architecture graduate course.
The 88th Annual WashU Fashion Show will take place Sunday, April 23 at 3:30 p.m at Third Degree Glass Factory (5200 Delmar). Tickets are $20–75 and available through the Edison Theatre Box Office (314-935-6543 or online at edison.wustl.edu).
