Carrie Pennington beamed, spreading her arms wide on stage
in front of a crowd at the Rail Event Center as models on either side of her showed
off Pennington’s plus-size designs during the seventh annual Salt Lake
Community College Fashion Institute’s spring fashion show.
Carrie Pennington (middle) shows off her designs.
Pennington, whose models ranged in sizes from 18 to 30, was
one of more than a dozen graduating SLCC design students showing off their
ideas in front of hundreds who gathered April 25 for the show dubbed
#FemmeFierce. The event featured professional makeup work by Aveda Institute
and models supplied by the Salt Lake City-based Niya Models. Entertainment
included performances by SLCC Dance Company and vocalist Sonia Lopez.
Pennington dubbed her works as a “knit meets woven
revolution” concept. “Because they work together instead of against each
other,” Pennington said, referring to how a knit lining to a blouse
“redistributes the wealth” beneath the outer layer of the garment. “It smooths
the body and does not show the unfortunate bulge.” She entered the fashion
design field because she was frustrated by the clothing being sold to plus-size
women. And, she adds, “The plus-size dollars are out there.” Her plan is to
keep doing custom design work until someone picks up her ideas and runs with
them.
A model walks during the #FemmeFierce fashion show
Meagan Patterson thinks she has her finger on the pulse of
fashion consumers in Utah, where modesty reigns. “I plan on opening my own
business, getting into manufacturing ready-to-wear women’s clothes,” Patterson
said. “I just have always really loved making Sunday dresses, things you’d wear
to church or a garden party.” She calls her experience “on and off” at SLCC
over the past five years “phenomenal,” gushing about the instructors. “All of
the teachers are wonderful,” she said. “They’re so knowledgeable. And they
really care about you and your personal growth.” Patterson sees a need in the
Utah market for a fully modest clothing store, whereas fellow graduate Madison
Fugate hopes there’s room in the costume design industry for her.
Fashion designers Madison Fugate (left) and Meagan Patterson
Fugate’s collection for the show was inspired by reading
classic literature and then imagining how characters like Captain Hook,
Tinkerbell, the Wicked Witch of the West and Dracula might look. “It just kind
of turned into my imagination – and here we are,” she said before the show,
which for her was a big deal. “This is huge. I’ve never done a fashion show
before. It’s extremely cool.”
A young model shows off a design at SLCC's annual spring fashion show