On April 11, K-State’s Fashion Studies program hosted its annual Showcase of Excellence, a runway show where each piece was handcrafted by K-State students, highlighting their hard work and creativity.
Hosted at The Museum of Art and Light, guests donned their most fabulous outfits for a night of glamour and poise inside the Mezmereyz gallery, an immersive experience where artwork is projected onto the walls and floors.
The current exhibit is “The Erosion of Time: A Digital Compilation of Works” by artists Des Lucréce and Dean Mitchell. Together, the artwork and runway designs created a memorable experience celebrating both fashion and art.
Declan Taylor, senior in fashion business, was named director of the Showcase of Excellence after serving as head of PR and social media at last year’s show. As director, Taylor coordinates event preparation and collaborates with team leads to ensure everything runs smoothly.
“As the director, I oversee the two teams we have: the runway team, which focuses on the models and garments, and the social media and PR team, who do all our social media,” Taylor said.
Taylor described the runway designs as “stylish, amazing and well-executed” and said he hopes the showcase highlights the talent and dedication students put into their creations and the event itself.
“I hope people are able to see how much hard work and effort the students put in to make these clothes and how what they do here, both on the fashion side and the business side, really pays off and they really put their best foot forward, especially tonight,” Taylor said.
Adhering to the event’s color palette, Emily Jenkins, junior in fashion business, wore a royal blue ruffled maxi dress from Dillard’s, accessorized with a pearl necklace. Jenkins served as co-lead of the model and garment team, coordinating models and garment fittings.
The runway’s designs were created by students from first through fourth year, along with contributions by graduate students and alumni. Jenkins said students were given creative freedom in their designs.
“They got to create what they wanted for class, so we have so many diverse pieces,” Jenkins said. “We have really formal dresses, we have blazers, we have jeans, we have all kinds of things.”
Jenkins believes the hands-on experience students gain through the fashion studies program helps prepare them for the workforce.
“Our students have done a lot of really great work putting together not only this show but also designing all of the garments tonight,” Jenkins said. “We really want to highlight that they are skilled and ready to go into the workforce and have a lot to offer.”
Akasha Schlicht, junior in fashion business, was a member of the model and garment team. She wore her prom dress, a black dress featuring floral beaded designs, which she tailored for the occasion.
Schlicht said the showcase is a chance for fashion students to gain exposure and present their “chic and funky” designs.
“Fashion design students need more recognition, and this is an opportunity for them,” Schlicht said.
Dressed in a green pleated dress, thrifted jewelry and Croc brand heels, Sophia Lull, junior in fashion design, stayed stylish yet comfortable for the event.
“Tonight’s not about me per se, so I wanted to be fun but functional so I can make sure everything happens,” Lull said.
As a co-lead of the model and garment team, Lull also helped with coordinating the models and garments. In addition to working the event, Lull had three designs of her own walking the runway — a blazer, a dress and a piece for her local fashion global impact project.
“The most meaningful one was my local fashion global impact one, which is actually inspired by this space and the work that’s displayed in The Mez [Mezmereyz gallery] and it was also inspired by my family’s roots and my grandma, so that one is really meaningful,” Lull said.
Lull said many of the students’ designs hold personal significance.
“We have a lot of different kinds of looks from a lot of different projects, but there’s a lot of rich meaning behind a lot of the projects, and we have a lot of really fun and unique pieces that are exciting to be displayed,” Lull said.
Lola Stice, senior in fashion design, also designed pieces that have a deeper meaning. Stice has worked as a part of the garment team for the past two years, but this year, her main focus was her senior collection, which focused on reimagining wedding dresses.
“The whole premise of my senior collection was focusing on taking wedding dresses and making them into formal wear and re-using them in some way, shape or form,” Stice said.
Her collection was colorful, featured a lot of beading and focused on being size inclusive so that all women get to feel beautiful.
“Everyone grows up imagining that they want to feel beautiful and feel like a princess,” Stice said. “My goal really is to give that opportunity to everyone.”
Stice dressed in a purple beaded and ruffled gown, matching the same “ethereal, whimsical and creative” vibe of her own collection.
“I wanted to make something that was beautiful and wanted to look at it and be like, I made that, I did that.
“I put all that time and effort into it, and that was really my biggest inspiration, is the beading and everything else from my past experiences. So, really just incorporating everything that I’ve learned and turning it into something that I’m really proud of.”
