On the Catwalk
By Siddarth Puri
April 12, 2003 9:00 p.m.
DKNY, BCBG and FCUK: Get ready to meet your newest competitor in
the world of fashion: FAST.
Cue the lights. Polish the catwalk. It’s time to sashay
and shantay with the newest creations from student designers at
this year’s Fashion And Student Trends’ fashion show,
“Addiction,” Monday, April 21 in Ackerman Grand
Ballroom.
In addition to showcasing the clothing of five student
designers, the student-organized fashion show will also include
major designers such as BCBG and Hype. This isn’t some tired
way of showing regular young-adult fashion, but it is rather a way
to give college students an idea of how to be sartorially creative
and reach beyond the confines of their Abercrombie & Fitch
sweats and flip-flops.
“We started this organization three years ago with the
hopes of giving more students a chance at expressing their talents
in the world of fashion,” said Arthur Pogosian, a third-year
sociology and business/economics student as well as the designer
and president of the FAST organization. “We want to promote
fashion and design and give a chance to student designers to
display their creations.”
As the title connotes, the theme of this year’s show is
addiction. According to Pogosian, this theme is perfect for the
exhibition as it shows that fashion is a competitive industry and
to “make it,” student designers have to be addicted to
fashion: They have to eat, drink and sleep fashion.
The show isn’t organized by season; rather, it’s
divided into three sections: the first, casual and dressy; the
second, a more urban look; and the last one, a European look,
according to Pogosian. The student designers and their lines have
been dispersed throughout the different sections.
The student designers have capitalized on this year’s
fashion trends. The trends include the military look (with a
twist), which takes away the camouflage colors and replaces them
with solid dark colors and keeps the cargo pants. The more urban
contemporary look is also in with brighter colors from the
’60s that contrasts the “darker” look that
characterizes darker clothing complemented with smoky eye
shadow.
A student showcased in the performance is Elena Keys, a
fourth-year sociology student. Inspired by the lack of clothing
provided for students in Ackerman, she decided to make her own line
called Epidemik, which is aimed at women who want something
feminine and flattering while staying comfortable and casual.
“I’m a big sports fan and never found anything fun
or cute to wear to any of the games,” said Keys. “So I
decided to make a line that included fitted clothes decorated with
sparkles and rhinestones to make something for the women to wear
not only to sporting events, but also to clubs and parties and even
on casual days.”
Student designers are not only setting trends in women’s
sports fashion, but are even sewing together their own lines. Kiki
Miller, a first-year business/economics student sits in her Saxon
Hall suite sewing together lime green, red and orange fabrics for
her line, which she calls “Kiki.” While primarily
focusing on contemporary urban designs, she is also making clothes
for everyday occasions as well as parties and clubs.
Pogosian’s own line also will be featured in the show.
Called “Azature” (his real name); Pogosian uses a
variety of blacks and whites with jagged cuts
“I wanted my line to reflect the growing idea of consumers
becoming more alike and looking more and more similar
everyday,” said Pogosian.
The fashion show, furthermore, incorporates dancers along with
makeovers for viewers and even give-aways. This unorthodoxly casual
fashion show hopes to create a relaxed environment for students to
come and see trends from the runways of Milan and Paris, according
to Pogosian, as well as provide ideas for students to add some
pizazz to their own wardrobes.
“I’m the kind of person who goes shopping and buys
clothes but then tweaks them so that they’re different and
uniquely styled,” said Keys. “I hate wearing the same
exact clothes as someone else ““ I have to add a little bit of
my own style and flair to everything I wear.”
For all the dancers, designers, models and even the students
scrambling to scribble fashion tips, in the immortal words of Ru
Paul: You betta’ work it!
