Fashion design student will represent Liberty at New York Fashion Week

Liberty University senior Kristine Johnson will be bringing her fashion design portfolio with her to the Big Apple in February when she attends New York Fashion Week, one of the biggest weeks in the fashion industry each year. Johnson won the trip as part of a contest hosted by Liberty’s Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) department.

This is the first time that Liberty’s FACS department has offered students the opportunity, which is made possible through the U of NYFW program in which fashion students from universities around the country are invited to the annual fashion event, held on Feb. 9-12, to get an inside look at the latest trends, meet industry professionals, and get a better idea of what they can expect in their future careers.

“She’ll really be able to take in all of the excitement and the action of the time there,” FACS professor Kim Cashman said. “It’s a pinnacle of (the fashion industry). It’s also a great opportunity to network for future internships and jobs. Not all of our students get to see what it is like in the fast-paced fashion industry, especially at somewhere like New York, so she’ll get a taste of that and then come back and bring what she’s learned to her fellow students.”

This Fashion Week program has been offered by CLC/Learfield eight previous times with the participation of 131 students representing 34 universities. CLC is Liberty’s external licensing partner. This student opportunity is being sponsored in full by the Liberty Licensing/Branding program from royalties generated by Liberty’s trademarks.

The competition was for junior- and senior-level fashion students who had at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA and had completed at least 15 class credits within FACS. Students had to research current trends projected for NYFW 2023 and develop an original clothing line based on their findings, followed by a presentation of their work to a fashion industry panel on Oct. 27.

Her line, named “Daily Utility,” consisted of four looks — two formal and two relaxed — and incorporated denim, blues and yellows, and naturally tanned leather.

Johnson is excited to meet both the professionals and fellow college students who have an eye and skillset for fashion, and she hopes to grow from the experience.

“It will mean more exposure to what the industry is actually like,” she said. “Networking, getting to hear other people’s perspectives, and hopefully pushing myself in terms of fashion, design, and broadening my horizons.”

Though it is not technically a part of Fashion Week, Johnson added that she is looking forward to visiting Mood Fabrics, the fabric store used in the fashion-centric television show “Project Runway.”

Johnson created garments for the FACS Fashion Show, and she presented her work at Research Week in April 2022.

After graduating with her degree in fashion design and minor in cinematic arts in May, Johnson plans to either earn her master’s in costuming or begin a career as a costume designer in the film industry.