Life is full of uncertainty, and for the budding designers of ASU’s newly-established fashion program, being unsure is a source of inspiration.
In collaboration with ASU’s Herberger Arts and Design Entrepreneurship Students club, the fashion program’s designers are setting out to break new ground by hosting ASU’s first-ever entrepreneurship fashion show.
“Uncertainty” will debut at the Tempe campus’ Student Pavilion on March 31. ASU students, faculty and community members are invited to come experience the work and artistry that the fashion program’s designers will put on display.
With performances and a runway show slotted to take place, the event will have all the makings of a professional fashion showcase.
For Carol Wong, a fashion senior and the show’s lead designer, “Uncertainty” is not only a way to show her creativity in completing her capstone project. It's an opportunity to show the individuality that ASU designers have to offer.
“I find that fashion is a way of expressing ourselves,” Wong said. “You don’t have to love one designer fully - you can love their designs, and you don’t have to love every collection. You can love one piece from this person and one piece from another person, and when you put those two together, you make a look for yourself.”
Wong, who will become the first student to ever graduate from ASU’s fashion program at the end of the Spring 2018 semester, said her work for the event drew inspiration from streetwear – a ready-to-wear contemporary clothing style first popularized by brands such as Supreme, Stussy and HUF.
Read More: Streetwear hype is prevalent on ASU's campus
However, Wong said that some of the show’s designers adopted a more avant-garde approach to the work they will be presenting at the event. The result is a widely-varied collaboration of work sure to offer something for every palette.
Organizing an event of this magnitude encompasses more obstacles than synchronizing the unique visions of its designers.
Alexa Guy, president of HADES and a senior double-majoring in Design Management and Technical Communications, oversaw the decision-making involved in bringing the show to fruition. Tasked with the process of allocating the show’s budget and seeking out a location for it to take place, Guy echoed Wong’s opinion on the significance of “Uncertainty.”
“The show is our first event, and it’s really awesome because it’s all student-planned and run,” Guy said. “This is a way to showcase the students and what the fashion program has created so far.”
Guy also said that the experience she’s gained in her time working for Phoenix Fashion Week helped her avoid being overwhelmed by the event’s managerial obligations. For now, the efforts exerted by the organizing parties seems to be paying off. In the time since the event’s announcement, HADES’ OrgSync member base has more than doubled, according to Guy. Additionally, the event has been featured on the website of Phoenix publication EchoMag.
Linda Essig, HADES faculty advisor and director of the Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Program at ASU’s Herberger Institute, lauded the tireless dedication of all the students involved in making the show a reality.
“I am always here as a resource, and I meet with the leadership weekly to make sure things are on track or see if there are any problems that I can help them move over,” Essig said. “I think the number one thing I’ve given them is the freedom to do the work themselves.”
“Uncertainty” has the potential to become an annual event, according to Guy and Wong. For them, the show is a means of highlighting the creative unity there is to be found in ASU’s cultural diversity.
“We’re all reaching for the same goals,” Wong said. “We just have different names.”
