Fashion students sponsored to attend University of New York Fashion Week

Fashion design students Marie Valerie Zappardino-Johnson and Janie Hagan were sponsored to attend the University of New York Fashion Week (U of NYFW) Sept. 5-8 after tying in Liberty University’s annual Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) fashion design and merchandising competition.

Open to both fashion design and fashion merchandising students, the annual competition challenges students’ creativity and business mindset. Students are asked to create either a digital garment collection or digital window display that showcases their creativity, marketing ability and trend forecasting skills. Each student then presents their pitch to a panel of judges, including faculty and figures in the fashion industry. Based on a point system, the judges scored each presentation with the highest scoring student winning an all-expenses paid opportunity to attend U of NYFW.

When Zappardino-Johnson and Hagan received identical high scores on their presentations, both were given the opportunity to attend U of NYFW.

“I was really excited because I always dreamed of going to New York City,” Zappardino-Johnson said. “It was an amazing culture shock to see the energy of the city, … seeing all the outfits, with all the creativity and the personal style, that really spoke volumes to me.”

Zappardino-Johnson and Hagan joined 25 other students from universities across the country as they took part in activities that gave them a behind-the-scenes look into the fashion industry, including select runway shows, panel discussions and networking opportunities with industry leaders. 

“These executives, these leaders of the industry, would take time out of fashion week, which is the busiest time of their year,” Hagan said. “I thought it was very impressive that these people were interested in the next generation’s future and wanted to impart what they knew. I felt very valued as a student who is not yet in the industry but wanting to be a part of it.”

One special event that students attended included a day at Amazon’s fashion office, also known as the “Hank,” referencing a term used for a measurement of yarn. Students had the opportunity to discuss industry trends and seek career advice from Amazon’s leaders. Other events included a panel with model and design agency WME fashion and a special Global Fashion Collective runway show highlighting designers such as Tulip ‘n Room, Memory Lane Park and Universidad Iberoamericana.

“I love when creators create, and you get to see that passion and see where they get their influences from. You can tell this person’s personality through the clothes that they make,” Zappardino-Johnson said. “That’s the beautiful thing about fashion. Personal expression is (the) power to tell stories through garments.”

Both Hagan and Zappardino-Johnson said the experience was deeply impactful and inspiring for their future careers in the industry.

“The biggest thing I got from (the experience) is not being afraid to trust God with my fashion dreams and giving it to him and knowing that the best thing I can do is get my foot in the door,” Zappardino-Johnson said. “Acceptance or rejection, I’m just letting God use my passions, my talents and my dreams to ultimately glorify him.”

Perez is an arts and culture reporter for the Liberty Champion. 

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