The Family & Consumer Sciences (FACS) Department hosted a night of glitz and glamour in honor of the 20th Annual Fashion Show held in the Center for Music and the Worship Arts Concert Hall on May 2. In recognition of another year of designing, this year’s spring showcase celebrated a selection of budding designers and celebrated 20 years of tradition through previous shows, recognizingformer Fashion Design Professor Matalie Howard who hosted the first fashion show.
This year’s theme was SELAH, a Hebrew word signifying a pause or a moment of reflection. The inspiration came about when student director and senior Emma Ramis and Assistant Professor Kim Cashman collaborated to cast a memorable vision for this year’s anniversary show.
The theme encouraged designers to use shiny creativity to represent their garments — whether through physical or metaphorical reflection.
“All of their garments are so beautiful, really reflective of their own lives, and the show itself, the aesthetic is very sparkly, glowy, elegant and kind of timeless,” Ramis said.
When the theme was first announced, senior designer Sidney-Clay Moser found inspiration from the stained-glass windows in her home church.
“I was also so fascinated by how beautiful it was along the walls of the sanctuary and the light coming through and all the colors,” Moser said. “I just thought that it would be neat to actually put that onto a dress and try to replicate that.”
While the students were required to submit a full four-garment collection of sketches, they could choose to construct up to four designs to bring to life for the show.
Moser’s colorful garment is deeply attached to her upbringing, even down to the model that it was customized for. Early on in the process, she decided to design the dress for her sister Mallory to sport down the runway.
Not only does this concept represent her family and childhood, but the handcrafted element of stained glass also echoes a sentiment of faith that speaks to the spiritual element of the theme.
“That’s kind of how Christians are,” Moser said. “We reflect the light of the gospel, and we’re all unique, and we all tell a story.”
Not only have the designers been hard at work all year, but the team members behind the scenes have also worked tirelessly to execute the production. Ramis, who is an event planning major, used the skills she attained during her degree and past experience as last year’s assistant director to put the show together.
Through her major experience, Ramis was able to grow her leadership skills and delegate tasks to the eight-person leadership team. Among model and design coordinators, as well as social media managers and graphic designers, the entire group developed true friendships while collaborating.
Ramis said the year-long process has been an ongoing opportunity to trust in the Lord and his provision from start to finish, serving as a fruitful reminder that all the work is ultimately for his glory.
“I love seeing the garments finally on the runway and hearing the audience every time a model walks out, because they are expressive and you can hear it from backstage,” Ramis said.
From the lighting and music to the onstage presentations and designer speeches, Ramis considers the fashion show to be an immersive experience. Unique to this year’s show, audience members also experienced the work of 10 fashion alumni returning to Liberty University.
“It’s very fun and exciting because they want to come back and participate in the show,” Moser said. “Just being able to learn from them and see how far they’ve come from being here at Liberty and the wisdom and knowledge they’ve gained from their certain career fields that they’ve gone into. I think it’s great.”
For the contributors, the fashion show acts as a way to meet other creatives and build a portfolio. However, it also offers an opportunity to lean into challenges of the entire experience and soak up the accomplishments of their peers at the end of the semester.
“I would say, if you think you might be interested in fashion, do it,” junior model Alex Cahill said. “It’s a great way to make friends and get yourself out of your comfort zone … Never in a million years would I have thought that I would have the confidence to walk out on stage and model, but I never would have found out until I tried it.”
For Moser, all of the hard work was worth every second in the end, especially as she was presented with the Rising Designer award given to a first-time designer in the show.
“I just think being able to develop the skills by translating it onto paper — what God has laid on my heart to share with others and being able to put that into an outfit and for people to see that,” Moser said. “Just being here at Liberty and being around fellow Christians … growing in my faith personally and being able to help others has just been a great part of the journey.”
To view information regarding upcoming events, as well as the previous fashion show streams, visit www.liberty.edu/arts-sciences/family-consumer-sciences/annual-fashion-show.
Hagen is the feature editor for the Liberty Champion.