Stevenson University fashion design majors participated in New York Fashion Week on Feb. 15, 2016. Ninestudents traveled to New York City to present their creations to judges and to display their designs for all to see.
Leah Aronhime, the manager for the fashion design studio, said that students entered a competition to be able to show their work in New York. Aronhime has worked in the fashion industry for 15 years and been at Stevenson for the last three.
“Four industry professionals from the Baltimore area came in and voted on the junior and senior garments,” Aronhime stated. The professionals chose 10 of their favorite pieces from the students.
New York Fashion Week’s theme this year was the Fine Art of Fashion, Aronhime explained. The students’ creations were showcased on Feb. 15, 2016 at 11 a.m., but the students traveled to New York four days earlier to fit their models for the first and only time before the show on Monday.
Sally DiMarco, associate professor of fashion design, said, “The Fashion Week event is a platform for Stevenson students to showcase their creations and connect with industry professionals who are scouting new talent.”
Benish Masih, a junior fashions design major, added, “The experience was a beautiful journey into the world of fashion design.” Her work was chosen by the professionals to appear on the runway during Fashion Week. After this experience, Masih said, “This trip has given me confidence to do well in the fashion industry.”
As the major continues to grow at Stevenson, the fashion design students will be seeing a change in the fall 2016 semester. There is a new building on the Owings Mills North campus, where new studio rooms are being created to better suit the needs of the fashion design major.
The program plans to offer the New York opportunity for the junior and senior students again next year. Aronhime explained that the students will be submitting work that they have made over the summer rather than work they have done during their fall semester.
The fashion design students will hold their annual fashion show on April 31, said Aronhime. The tickets are open to the public and they sell out very quickly.