Senior fashion designers debuted their unique clothing collections, showing off pieces they have been working on since the fall semester at the annual University of Texas Fashion Show on Wednesday evening at the Frank Erwin Center.
The event, one of the largest student-run fashion shows in the country, was organized by the University Fashion Group.
Marketing sophomore April Owusu, assistant social media director of the group, said the show highlights student work.
“Every collection that comes out is so astounding,” Owusu said. “These people are my age and they’re creating all of this. A lot of people don’t associate UT with fashion, but we have a lot of great designers at this school.”
Maiya Evans, merchandising and consumer sciences senior, showed her dress design during the pre-show exhibition. She drew inspiration from dandyism, a gentlemen-esque style usually associated with men, which she transformed to create a more gender-neutral design.
“I was never really one for the polarity of hypermasculinity and hyperfemininity,” Evans said. “I think we should all live in between, and my design incorporates elements from both of those polar ideas.”
Radio-television-film sophomore Julienne Bajusz, who modeled the design, said she loved the piece and the concept behind it.
“The colors are really great, and it’s a really interesting mixture of designs but it all works together,” Bajusz said.
Evans said constructing her piece took about three weeks of work in sewing studios at home and in school.
“A lot of us worked in (the Mary E. Gearing building) day and night pulling all nighters just to make all of these beautiful garments,” Evans said.
Hundreds of people attended the show, which was televised by the Longhorn Network.
Active Sportswear, Evening, Best Technical Collection and Most Marketable were among some of the challenges. The winners included Elexis Spencer for Bridal, Dee Ting for Most Innovative Collection, Veronica Lozano for Co-op Design Challenge, among others.
The theme of this year’s show was “synthesis,” named to tie the textiles and apparel department’s show to the College of Natural Sciences, which most people do not associate with each other.
At the end of the show, each senior designer walked the runway alongside their models for the Grand Finale.
Evans said she wants to continue designing in the future.
“I’m a very creative person and I feel like design has the possibility to never grow stale,” Evans said. “You can always make something new.”
