FACS hosts 10th fashion show
‘Countdown To Chic: Cosmos Fashion’ launched student spring collections
Crowds lined up outside the LaHaye Multipurpose Center to attend Liberty’s Department of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) 10th annual fashion show Saturday, April 2. Themed after its title, “Count Down To Chic: Cosmos Fashion,” the show gave students an opportunity to test their skills and showcase their clothing designs.
“Not only is this a milestone year, but it is also our biggest show yet,” Director Rebecca Floros said. “We’ve done a lot of partnering and worked on having a stronger social media presence, so that has definitely made the difference this year.”
Nine vendors were set up around the LaHaye Multipurpose Center, including local favorites like The White Hart Café and Mama Crockett’s Cider Donuts. A portion of the sales from the vendors, along with half of the proceeds from the show, were donated to the Freedom 4/24, a local charity that works to bring justice to human trafficking victims around the world.
The show featured 26 designers and 41 models, the largest amount of participants in the history of the fashion show. Because of this, the FACS department recruited eight judges from across the country with varying experiences in the field of fashion.
“We have a diverse group of judges this year,” Faculty Advisor Matalie Howard said. “Some do modeling, film and costume design, run their own boutique and even one who has worked with Pitbull’s footwear line … this is such a great opportunity for students to get diverse feedback on their designs.”
Before getting approved to display their pieces in the fashion show, students were required to send in sample designs. From there, the FACS department chose a few of the best designers to create themed pieces for the 2016 fashion show.
“It’s interesting how the theme worked out, because last year we got a lot of feedback from students wanting to do something with outer space,” Floros said. “That wasn’t even on my mind when I was on the thesaurus looking up random words and came up with the idea of doing a theme related to the cosmos.”
Dimly lit with fog, twinkling lights and ambient music, LaHaye had the aura of outer space. The look was complete with a spaceship blast door that led to the runway and a red launch button that Floros pressed to begin the show.
“This year, our focus was on the production value and having our event draw people in,” Floros said. “Just like someone would go to a concert for an experience, we wanted our audience to participate and go into outer space with us.”
Students were instructed to choose an inspiration from outer space and design their pieces around that concept. The show was filled with a variety of clothing influenced by well-known planets and constellations, as well as more complex ideas like the death of a star, spiral galaxies and the Aurora Borealis. Some students even modeled their pieces after films like Interstellar, Predator and Star Trek.
“We’re looking for one of a kind,” Howard said. “We don’t want the students to go after what someone else has declared will be a trend, but be as creative as they can be, pull it from deep inside and see what they can come up with.”
Each designer utilized a variety of textures, prints and colors that represented their concept of choice. On the runway, there were many hues of black and gold, complemented with bright, metallic fabrics and detailed face makeup. The audience favorites were the D-Trex dance crew introduction and the dress that lit on fire.
Not only were the designs judged by appearance, but the pieces were also analyzed by their construction. Overall, Sarah Blanke took home first place and Cayleigh Parker won “Best in Show.”
“The last couple of years I have submitted winning designs to the International Textile and Apparel Association, and students have won international awards,” Howard said. “The more our students are exposed, the more we are rising to the top, and this show gives them that perfect venue for showcasing their work.”
RUTT is a feature reporter.