Kansas State’s fashion department will host its annual Showcase of Excellence fashion show from 7 to 9 p.m. April 18 at the K-State Alumni Center. This showcase is an opportunity for students to show their hard work completed throughout the semester, all rolled into one night. The team of designers consists of 20 students enrolled in AT450 – Showcase of Excellence Event Planning.
“It’s slightly more difficult to get into — it’s a class you apply for rather than just choose to take,” Natalie Peterson, co-director and junior in fashion studies, said.
AT450 requires the instructor’s permission to enter, which is done through an application process. The class allows upperclassmen studying fashion to gain real-life experience in a less intimidating space than the professional industry. Each student is hand-picked by the professor to plan and organize the department’s showcase.
This team is then split into smaller divisions to cover all areas of the show. From public relations to stage directions, every role in the show is crucial for the showcase to run smoothly.
Each area allows for the sub-segments of the fashion studies program to shine. In general, fashion studies are divided into 2 different categories — business and design — and this class allows both to work side-by-side to create the show. It is made up of K-State students’ designs from the current year, but in this case, the show will consist of projects from the past two years.
“We try to have it annually, but it gets switched up a lot,” Peterson said. “COVID-19 caused the show to be recorded and was a slightly smaller show. We also did not have a professor to act as the supervisor last year, so this show will be comprised of projects from the last two years and be slightly bigger than in the past.”
This year’s show theme is tied to growth and renewal because of the inability to showcase pieces in the recent past. K-State students will showcase 67 designs alongside five middle/high school designs, eight alumni designs and three wedding dresses. The Showcase of Excellence is made to help students find recognition from faculty, students and the public for their creations. This could even lead to future internships or careers for many of the designers — especially if their work is seen by industry professionals attending the event.
The show is open to the public and tickets are purchasable on the Showcase of Excellence website Fashion Studies Showcase of Excellence for $20.
“The fashion studies program is something that not a lot of people know about, and the showcase is a really cool opportunity for people to get a glimpse into what fashion students are really up to — both on the runway and design projects,” Peterson said.
