Whimsical and Unique Designs at 2023 Spring Fashion Show

 

Models taking the runway at SLCC's Annual Fashion Show

In a display of whimsy and color, students from Salt Lake Community College’s Fashion Institute showcased their creativity on the runway at South City Campus on April 22. 

With styles inspired by clowns, Ugly Betty and Alice in Wonderland, the annual fashion show was a culmination of months of hard work by SLCC's fashion design students. Each senior design student in the Collection Production class is required to create 10 pieces of clothing as their final project. The class begins in the fall with students finding their inspiration and drawing sketches, to creating and sewing their designs in the spring, and ending with presenting their designs at the fashion show.

“It's just really cool to see students and see what they've come up with because they've been working all year since the fall on this,” says Breeann Ross, one of the three Fashion Production students who put on this event. The Fashion Production class works together with the design students, where they do all the behind-the-scenes work so that on the day of the fashion show, those students who have created the collections shine and are celebrated. 

One of the highlights, and most talked about, was the clown-inspired designs, which brought an element of fun and vibrancy to the runway. Keanna Frodente (they/them) drew inspiration from some of the names they have been called because of their gender identity, sexuality and neurodiversity. “I took the idea of being called a clown and turned that into fashion by mixing it with LGBTQI+ themes,” says Keanna.

The models, all decked out with colorful rainbow patterns, face paint and one even donning a carousel hat, were chosen by the designer as a way to celebrate bodies of all sizes and shapes. “The models are all my friends,” says Keanna. “I really wanted to elevate all types of bodies and all types of genders, so I included trans models, nonbinary models, all different sizes from plus sizes to kids’ sizes and everything in between. I wanted to make sure people felt celebrated in what they were.”

Another standout theme was the designs inspired by the television series "Ugly Betty." Jose Lerma paid homage to the fictional character Betty Suarez, who was known for her quirky sense of style. Jose’s designs featured bold plaids and floral patterns, with mismatched colors, capturing Betty's iconic fashion choices. Models strutted down one side of the runway in tennis shoes and layered patterns as other models dawning Betty’s evening attire, a sleek black cocktail dress, an elegant red pencil style dress and high heel shoes, walked down the other aisle.

“The show [Ugly Betty] is about fashion and about transforming into a different person even though you're the same. That's what I like about Betty, she has the same personality, she is the same funny, quirky, person who just had a makeover,” says Jose, who was taught to sew by his mother. “That kind of talent runs in my family,” he says.

The fashion show then took a turn, and the audience down the rabbit hole, with costume designs inspired by Lewis Carroll's classic tale "Alice in Wonderland." Sara Riches incorporated themes from Wonderland in her design by featuring a mix of historical and modern fashion, embellished with corsets and florals. The models, this time all actors, wandered and skipped down the runway, rather than the typical catwalk, creating a sense of wonder in the audience.

Other designs included functional fashion for nursing mothers, inspiration taken from Wizard of Oz illustrations and historical fashion, utility and 90s grunge looks inspired from gothic architecture. The only men’s fashion designer in the show, Mathieu Quinlan, says he was happy when he found the design program at SLCC. “I love my fellow students. It's really fun to work with them and I love how the faculty is well trained. Almost all of my professors have worked in the industry. I feel like I’m learning from the best,” he says. 

The fashion show is not only a celebration of fashion and marking the end of the semester but also a showcase of the talent and creativity of SLCC's own fashion design students. The event serves as a platform for emerging designers to display their skills and make their mark in the fashion industry. Some alumni from past years returned and displayed their current fashion designs in the entryway. 

“What makes this show special, and even the program itself, is that it facilitates individual expression and exposure to the creative process and the arts. Fashion is another art form, just like any art,” said Kim Kienow, model and SLCC instructor who taught this year’s Fashion Production class. 

SLCC Fashion Institute is the only fashion institute in the State. The Fashion Institute is relocating from their downtown location at Library Square to the South City Campus, to join the School of Arts, Communication and Media (SACM) by summer semester 2023.