Towering buildings and bustling crowds define New York City. Buzzing chatter fills The Glasshouse as eager Fashion Scholarship Fund scholars from all over the nation mingle and share their passions at the FSF Gala. Among the crowd stands two UT students radiating wondrous vibrancy, ready to fully absorb the opportunity presented to them.

The FSF Gala hosted over 750 guests including scholars, past winners, influencers and major industry names such as Anna Wintour on April 3 in NYC. Textiles and apparel senior Emma Faidley and textiles and apparel junior Amaryllis Dunklee attended the event as FSF scholarship recipients, which awarded them $7,500 each for their individual case studies demonstrating their visions for the future of sustainability and marketing in the fashion industry, respectively. 

Promoting eco-friendly consumption and production in the fashion industry, Faidley’s case study explained how companies can use biodegradable and alternative materials without sacrificing aesthetics and stylistic freedom. 

“(Consumers) see (sustainability) as a no-brainer and demand that from the companies they purchase from,” Faidley said. “The awareness has expanded the market of sustainability. It’s everywhere. Small businesses and slow fashion houses (can) flourish in (an) unprecedented (way) outside of luxury fashion.” 

Dunklee said she endorses utilizing technology such as AI influencers and the metaverse in order for brands to create an engaging marketing strategy and foster customer loyalty. Dunklee’s case study showed the future of marketing in long-term goals that will keep companies from falling behind in trends and innovation. 

“Twenty years ago, … no one thought online shopping would ever exist,” Dunklee said. “Fast forward to 2023, and now everyone uses it. It’s dominated the retail industry and is why so many companies are going bankrupt — because they don’t know how to evolve.” 

Flying from Austin to a fashion capital, the gala turned out to be an exciting opportunity to network despite feeling initially daunting, Faidley and Dunklee said. 

Jennifer Wilson, assistant professor of instruction and FSF scholarship advisor, said textiles and apparel students usually overcome impostor syndrome in places like NYC. 

“They’ve been exposed to a lot,” Wilson said. “We have a lot of opportunities for students to engage, whether it’s the UT fashion show or New York Fashion Week. They’ve really been able to step into the role and take it on.” 

Acknowledging the scholars’ accomplishments and seeing their wide-eyed excitement made the night memorable for Wilson.

“It’s exciting to see our students as far as they’ve come and for them to see how big this competition is,” Wilson said. “They’re acknowledged for their work and ideas. The fact that they sat there with Anna Wintour talking during the day, which is something most people will never do, (is) why I’m excited to be there.” 

Furthermore, the event gave scholars a peek into their potential futures, as UT alumni attended.

“A lot of the mentors want you to succeed, and they were just reaching out like, ‘Hey, here’s my phone number. If you need a job, or you’re interested in going into this field, reach out to me.’” Dunklee said.

Winning the scholarship allowed Faidley and Dunklee to make friendships and connections with executives throughout the fashion industry in a single night. During the trip, Faidley received an additional scholarship from Macy’s, while Dunklee received one from Neiman Marcus.

“Everyone there did a really great job of acknowledging the efforts of the students constantly saying, ‘You should be so proud of yourself,’” Faidley said. “Once you start telling yourself that, it’s easy to believe.”