Written by Jazmin Decker
The 2019 Brenau Collaborative Fashion Show wowed the crowd April 13 at Brenau’s Pearce Auditorium with another successful production showcasing the designs of fashion design students along with a trend show by fashion merchandising students.
Designers included junior Jordyn De La Rosa with her collection Fleur Epanouie, sophomore Gabriela Carrillo (New Vintage), junior Kendy Manzano (Truly Yours), junior Alexandria “Sheik” Nause (Wanderers), senior Minnie Zheng (Emotions in the Night, PM 2.5) and 2018 graduate Jocie Beussee, who presented a capsule collection.
The lines showcased were the product of the students capstone course, which begins with research throughout the summer and leads to further development in the fall. In the spring semester, each student then begins to establish the looks that they desire to produce and begin creating their pieces to prepare for the Collaborative that debuts in the late spring.
Seniors Jasmine Holt and Jazmin Decker and junior Sehee Yoon composed a trend show expressing the importance of size inclusivity and body confidence. Models of different sizes wore the same outfits to show how anyone can look beautiful in what they wear, no matter the size or shape of their body.
“It was so incredible to work on a show that exhibited students work and inclusivity,” says Holt. “Adding a trend portion to the show was great for fashion merchandising students because I felt like our program was utilized in a way I haven’t seen before. Running the show was so much fun, and I was finally able to put all my knowledge from my undergrad to the test in producing this show. I look forward to seeing how the shows improve from here on out.”
This past spring, Brenau introduced a fashion show production class that planned, designed and produced the entire collaborative show. The class was designed to inform and guide students through the steps of planning and producing an entire fashion show. The wide range of knowledge and skills provided by the students in the class, which included fashion merchandising, fashion design, and marketing and communications majors, assisted in producing an entirely revamped fashion show from the previous years.
This was the first Brenau fashion show to provide hands-on experience for fashion merchandising students, and it allowed them to express their fashion and artistic freedom in challenging, yet exciting, ways.
“The fashion show was a great experience!” says junior fashion merchandising major Stephanie Contreras. “It was entirely student run, which is different from what we’ve done in years past. Collectively, we decided on a theme for the fashion show. Visually, as a class, we wanted something that would accentuate the stage and the show without overpowering it or taking away from the collections.”
Students decided to title the show “Defining Moments,” because every student and every collection in the show represented at least one defining moment that Brenau has placed in their lives. Each individual collection was a defining moment in the designers’ careers, and being able to produce the show provided a defining moment for the fashion show production class as well.
The fashion show production class will be in charge of producing future shows, and both the students and professors are looking forward to what the future fashion shows have to offer.
A very special thanks to Dario Perla, Matthews Printing Company, Dress Up, Old Navy, Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance, the Office of the President, Aesthetic Boutique, 1st Choice National Consulting and the Office of Marketing & Communications.
Additional help provided by Polly Evans-Thomas, Claudia Wilburn, Huy Chu, Tom Askew, Mackenzie Callas, Michael Lowe, Lainey Kennedy, Darrell Morris and Ashley Carter.
