On Nov. 9, student members of Fashion Group International and the apparel and merchandising class AM 130 presented a sustainable fashion show titled “Urban Stars,” featuring attire made from leftover materials.
The biannual show, held in CSU’s Lory Student Center Ballroom, was entirely put on by students — from the staging to the make-up for the models. There were 36 garments made by the AM 130 class; 29 of those were worn by models on the runway, while the other seven stayed on mannequins due to the sharp unconventional material used to make them.
Fashion Group International serves as the liaison between the regional, national and global fashion industry and students at CSU. Its mission is to provide activities, programs and events that enhance networking skills and encourage interpersonal contacts to further grow the professional, social and personal development of members.
“It gives the students a chance to go through the planning and see what it takes to put on a fashion show,” said Fashion Group International adviser Carol Engel-Enright, a faculty member in the Department of Design and Merchandising. “This provides them industry experience while still being on campus.”
The apparel and merchandising class AM 130 focuses on the awareness and appreciation of design as it exists in the context of everyday life.
The Urban Stars fashion show was a recycled design project intended to challenge students to apply the elements of design to a garment structure using unconventional materials that were originally intended for a different purpose.
“This show is the most rewarding,” said Sarah Howard, a junior in apparel and merchandising. “I love watching it grow from just an idea to seeing the garment finished on the runaway. It really does take so much to put something like this together.”
The students decided to to design the project from a sustainability perspective and created a partnership with the Fort Collins Rescue Mission. Fashion show attendees were invited to donated winter clothing at the event, to benefit the Rescue Mission.
The Department of Design and Merchandising is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.