Students’ unique clothing designs shine at 30th Annual Campus Couture Fashion Show

Correction: Kerstyn Gonzales was the Public Relations Coordinator for the 30th Annual Campus Couture Fashion Show.

Hundreds of audience members were abuzz with anticipation inside the Carpenter Performing Arts Center Friday night as they waited for models to grace the stage, wearing the latest student designs.  

Backstage, fashion design and merchandising students mentally prepared themselves  to showcase their creations on the runway.

Once the lights dimmed and the 30th Annual Campus Couture Fashion Show began, models were greeted with thunderous applause, whistles and shouts of, “Yas, work it! Slay!”

This year’s fashion show included asymmetrical hemlines, layers of tuleing, high necklines and bold patterned cutouts. Stephanie Langford, senior design major was the big winner of the night. Langford’s intricate construction and vibrant designs won her Best in Show and the Necchi Award for Best Construction.

The show included 48 top student designers and about 200 student volunteers, including models. The year-long, labor-intensive event is meant to provide design students with the opportunity to proudly showcase their original designs on a professional runway.

Bobby Yagake
The “Flores” collection, designed by Daniel Flores, was inspired by concepts from Mexican culture. Flores’ pieces were bold and primarily featured billowing sleeves, a plethora of sequins as well as a combination of fitted and flowing fabric.

“We use this event to showcase the sophomore, junior and senior designers creativity so we can push them into the fashion industry,” said Krysten Gonzales, head coordinator of the event. “We want to expose our amazing fashion department, and showcase how talented our designers are who are still in college and are hopeful to go into the fashion industry after they graduate.”

The hour-and-a-half long program featured 93 different outfits on a rotating crew of models.

“I am seeing a lot more outfits revolving around street style this year,” Gonzales said. “There is just a lot of colorful pieces that look cohesive that you would find if walking the streets of New York. It’s very collectic and fresh.”

Street style is considered a grassroots fashion movement that resists against mainstream designers and trends by mixing fabrics, exploring hemlines and combining trends.

For some students, the show was an outlet to demonstrate their personal representation of fashion, which included various themes and creative collections.

“My collection is themed ‘Supernatural,’ which represents the idea that glamour and fashion can still be achieved with sustainable and eco-friendly materials,” said Raynesha Lawson-Jones, senior fashion design major. “My inspiration derives from the early beginnings of American Sportswear, representing women’s empowerment, natural beauty, elegance and sex appeal.”

Others students used the opportunity as a form of self-expression and a symbol for all the hard work they put into the semester. For senior fashion design major, Daniel Flores, the show was a way to communicate both their cultural and gender identity.

“As a non-gender conforming being, I express my androgynous look through my daring sense of style, and I’m not afraid to boldly feature my feminine attributes with makeup or women’s clothing,” said Daniel Flores, senior fashion design major. “My collection theme is ‘Flores,’ which pulls concepts from the Mexican culture with the sincerity and beauty found within colorful flowers.”

Bobby Yagake | Daily 49er
Fashion senior Stephanie Langford showcased her “Dare 2 Love” collection at the event Friday. The collection was inspired by her relationship with her husband.

Flores’  designs attracted a roar of applause from the audience, who responded positively to their diaphanous off-the-shoulder dress and glittery crimson, thigh-high boots. Flores won outstanding fashion design major at the end of the night.

Design students also participate in the event in hopes of networking through the show, with industry professionals who attend each year scouting for possible candidates for their company.

The eight judges who handed out prizes were also representatives of local fashion industries in Los Angeles. Head designers from the Tom James Company and head manager for Banana Republic made an appearance and handed out the awards for Outstanding and Best in Show.

Industry judges meticulously inspected each garment for construction, wearability, marketability, originality, and attention to detail to determine which talented designers would receive high marks and class awards.

Despite the awards and accolades from post-production, some of the designers felt that presenting their collections to a crowd of hundreds was a feeling of immeasurable relief and success.

“Fashion is a language. It expresses not only who you are, but what you believe in and what you agree with, what your dislikes and likes are,” said Alondra Pena, junior fashion merchandising and design major. “I’m so relieved that today is over with and I believe fashion defines the person in general no matter what you’re wearing.”