Surrounded by ethereal balloons and a spiral runway, Cal Poly's Trend, Innovation, Trendsetting and Styling (FITS) membership and Sustainable Trend Membership (SFC) hosted their third annual trend present on Could 18.
The sold-out occasion featured the work of 25 designers exhibited in 69 fashions. Every assortment was accompanied by a novel soundtrack to create a multi-sensory expertise.
The theme of the 2024 trend present was 'Symbiosis', chosen by administrators Komo Assi and Rachel Leong, who’re additionally co-chairs of FITS.
“The subject of symbiosis might embrace mutualism, parasitism and commensalism, however it’s also topic to interpretations round nature, know-how and artwork,” Assi mentioned.
A have a look at the collections.
Every designer introduced new that means to symbiosis and what it means to them.
Senior structure scholar and designer Anita Shanbhogue’s “Malleable Figures” assortment featured giant items product of copper wire and beads. One piece imitated a corset with a cage-shaped design.
“My assortment is in regards to the relationship of equipment to the physique and the way they will restrict but additionally empower a person,” Shanbhogue mentioned.
Some collections additionally featured a narrative and every bit had its personal message. Within the “Pay attention” assortment by designers Marcella Ledesma and Phebe Cohen, there have been 4 tales, all telling the story of the start, destruction and rebirth of the Earth.
The primary piece in his assortment illustrated a sea creature exploring the Earth. The subsequent two items inform the story of the destruction attributable to warfare after which the dying of wildlife in an oil spill. The ultimate piece is hopeful and reveals the Earth regaining its energy.
Like most of the different designers taking part within the exhibition, this was Cohen and Ledesma's first alternative to create a larger-scale trend design venture.
“I might use a stitching machine…primarily recycling issues,” Cohen mentioned. “However we had by no means made one thing fully from scratch, like these pants. [points to one of their designs] “They’re from scratch.”
To deliver the venture to life, Cohen and Ledesma targeted on the usage of sustainable supplies.
“We used several types of leftover material that we present in bins and we additionally discovered material within the military retailer,” Cohen mentioned.
Like “Pay attention”, there have been different collections that additionally used sustainable and unconventional materials sources.
Jaclyn Brodersen and Danny Puga's “Polyphony” assortment highlighted modular clothes that wasn't restricted to being a single piece, like a shirt. The garments might be worn everywhere in the physique and so they used second-hand garments, shopping for solely new buttons, threads and seaweed.
“Our assortment goals to point out the flexibility of clothes. When worn in a different way, garments might be given a brand new life,” Puga mentioned. “Even the again of a shirt has a distinct shade and texture than the surface.”
Bailee Isackson Images | Mustang Information
The ultimate mannequin within the Polyphony assortment underwent a runway transformation by which Brodersen and Puga rearranged clothes the mannequin was already carrying to create a brand new look, illustrating how the identical items might be reworked and reused.
“By combining leathers and lace, softer colours and deeper colours, acrylic merchandise which are sharp and exhausting are mixed with softer supplies and latex. [creates]concord by way of juxtaposition, and that pertains to the title of our assortment,” he mentioned.
Brodersen additionally talked about how opposing textiles have been juxtaposed towards one another to embody polyphony.
“Polyphony, which is a number of melodies, often two melodies, coming collectively to type a extra cohesive and melodic piece,” Brodersen mentioned.
The style present permits college students from numerous backgrounds to return collectively and have fun inventive self-expression. Designers come from a wide range of specialties, together with physics, soil sciences, structure, journalism, liberal research, and mechanical engineering.
Planning the present
Greater than 100 folks participated within the occasion, together with the scenography workforce made up of 20 college students from the School of Structure and Environmental Design (CAED).
The set included picket pillars supporting white balloons lining the ceiling.
“We needed to create this creature that lives above the viewers and has this mutualistic relationship with the fashions under,” mentioned co-set director and FITS co-president Rachel Leong.
“The unique a part of the idea was that it needed to breathe,” he mentioned. “The inflatables would inflate and deflate to create a respiratory impact to get the physique shifting and animated.”
Along with his workforce of CAED college students, Leong was in a position to conceptualize and construct this large set, profiting from the multi-sensory expertise that was this yr's trend present.
“Ultimately we didn't do it as a result of we preferred the way it seems when it's absolutely inflated and wrinkle-free. [and] that was only a private desire. However you possibly can nonetheless hear the creature respiratory with the inflated air,” Leong mentioned.
A advertising and marketing workforce, a planning workforce, and a hair and make-up workforce have been additionally recruited to fashion the fashions' hair.
“I believe in complete we had 140 folks concerned in making this present a actuality. We had 20 CAED college students, 25 planners below our 5 administrators, round 15 volunteers, 69 fashions and 25 designers,” Assi mentioned.
After three years of placing on the style present, that is their largest manufacturing but.
“It began from very humble beginnings with FAST [Fashion and Storytelling]which is what it was beforehand referred to as FITS, and SFC and was positioned within the PAC Pavilion,” Assi mentioned.
The FITS and SFC groups are already within the strategy of enthusiastic about themes for subsequent yr.
“Yearly we take into consideration the theme primarily based on what would signify the designers' wishes for what they need to suggest,” Assi mentioned.
This yr's parade was fully offered out.
“It wouldn't have been doable with out everybody and it wouldn't have been as lovely because it was with out each attendee filling each seat and making this place really feel so alive.”