For the fashionistas of West Ranch, many debuted their looks at the FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) club fashion show on Sunday, March 30. During the weeks prior, sophomore FIDM co-presidents Sofia Isabel Yuvienco and Brianne Loyola organized the showcase, doing everything from getting the word out to setting up the stage. Whether as a designer or a model, Wildcats displayed their style and flair on the runway.
FIDM, a nationwide fashion club sponsored by the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, provides a creative and collaborative environment for fashion-enthusiasts on campus to grow as designers. “Our main goal is to allow people to express themselves through creativity and fashion,”Yuvienco explained.“We do that by doing a fashion show. [We] teach them how to sew and teach them how to design.”
In the weeks leading up to the event, Loyola and Yuvienco expressed how planning the show had been stressful due to varying ideas. Yuvienco shared, “The biggest thing that stressed us out mostly is collaboration. Just because it’s hard to get one person’s viewpoint and then another person’s viewpoint just to put all of this together. Obviously we’ve had the entire year, but this month has been on it, on it, on it.”
The show opened to the audience at 6 pm, but models and designers arrived at 3 pm to help prepare and get ready for the event. While some models practiced their walk, others curled their hair or added the finishing touches to their look. Filled with laughter, excitement and donuts, the models and designers were ready to take on the runway. Meanwhile, the two co-presidents had their hands full with setting up the stage, the curtains, the chairs and the iconic large light-up WR letters that framed the catwalk. After a quick practice rehearsal at around 5:20 pm, the attendees flooded in and took their seats.
Following a quick introduction from sophomore emcees Molly Kitchener and Micah Viudez, the show began. With models strutting it out on the catwalk, family and friends cheered and admired the designs from chairs below the stage. Each designer’s models walked out one after another to a song of the designer’s choosing, showcasing a variety of outfits. Afterwards, the designer walked on stage and gave a short speech describing their inspiration and creative process. From “Gimme More” by Britney Spears to “Breakin’ Dishes” by Rihanna, models pranced on the beat to an applauding crowd. At the very end, all models walked out around the border of the gym, showing off their outfits for one final time.
Freshman Kennedi Woods designed for sophomores Sirui Zhang and Dakota Woodside. Woods derived her inspiration from Pinterest and TikTok, as well as from her mom. Woods shared, “I try to attune [the designs] to my personal style, what’s trendy and then also what [the models] like and who they are.” For Zhang, Woods chose a white A-line, off the shoulder dress with a flannel tied around the shoulders and white cowboy boots. For Woodside, Woods chose a black and white matching set consisting of a varsity jacket and mini skirt paired with knee-high black boots. Woods described her excitement going into the event; “I am excited to see my designs on the [runway]. Everyone [will get to see] ‘oh this is Kennedi’ in a sense; you get to see a part of me.”
While many designers selected pieces online or from their own closets, sophomore Payton Mansukhani made his articles by hand. Mansukhani’s handiwork can be found in the grey zip up jacket with the unique tan khaki pants worn by sophomore Justin Luo, and the camo patchwork cargos on sophomore Jake Camia. Describing his inspiration from TikTok and popular fashion events such as New York Fashion Week, Mansukhani’s ability to make clothes inspired him to participate in FIDM’s fashion show.
Model and self-designer sophomore Sunishka Gali donned a traditional Indian lehenga, a puffy long skirt, worn with a choli blouse and a chunni scarf draped around her shoulder and waist. Most notably, Gali’s use of intricate gold and green necklaces, earrings and bangles completed the look with an added shimmer. Gali modeled with her friend sophomore Lia Kim, who wore a Korean hanbok. Gali vocalized the inspiration and meaning behind their garments: “We just wanted to show our side of the culture; I feel like our school doesn’t really thoroughly understand each side of a culture’s story, so we wanted to show that through the clothes that we’re wearing and through our model walk.”
Finally, the runway ended with the warm praise and embrace of family and friends as participants in the show spotted their supporters in the crowd. Many participants stayed after the show, taking pictures in front of the WR back drop while recounting their nervous excitement with friends and fellow catwalkers after the show.
Cats, keep on the lookout for next year’s winter and spring fashion shows that are sure to wow the crowd. In the words of Loyola, “Fashion shows my phases, it shows how I feel, it’s my expression, it’s just everything to me.”
