Inside Iowa State

April 18, 2008

Show hits the runway April 25

by Mike Ferlazzo, News Service

The 26th annual Textiles and Clothing Fashion Show, which showcases more than 100 garments created by Iowa State students, will be held Friday, April 25, in Stephens. This year's show also will feature work by guest designer Todd Snyder, a 1992 ISU graduate and Huxley native who is vice president of menswear design for J.Crew, New York City.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with an exhibit of student portfolios and mounted pieces, followed by the runway show at 6:30 p.m.

The student-produced show highlights apparel design students' work, along with student event production and management skills. Any ISU student, regardless of major, can participate in the show. Directors and committee members are chosen from more than 50 applicants. ISU students also audition to be models in the show.

"We try to design the show to appear like any you'd see from the fashion industry in a major city, with the exception that it is completely student-run," said Francesca Skwark, a senior apparel, merchandising, design and production major from Rockford, Ill., and one of the show's three co-producers. "It's actually a bigger production than you'd see in a major fashion industry show."

Garments were judged in early April by a panel of fashion professionals who graduated from Iowa State. They use industry standards to select designs that will be included in the show, and choose the award winners. This year's judges are:

• Lisa Ann Dodge, vice president for merchandising, Topson Downs, Los Angeles
• Lisa Rothgeb, technical designer, Target, Minneapolis
• Erin Wignall, head women's designer, Obey Clothing, Los Angeles

Children's, men's and women's wear are showcased on the runway in seven categories, ranging from evening wear, to casual wear, to experimental design. Another three categories are presented in the exhibits prior to the runway show.

Special collection

Each year, the event features the professional collection of an Iowa State alumnus. Snyder was nicknamed "J.Crew" while he attended Iowa State, according to a 2005 Time magazine article that cited him for being part of the label's resurgence in the fashion industry. Snyder also is co-founder of Tailgate Clothing Co. in Ankeny.

The Textiles and Clothing Fashion Show began in 1982 in front of a small audience in the MacKay auditorium. It has grown to become the biggest show of its kind in Iowa, and one of the largest in the Midwest. This is the fourth year it will be held at Stephens, where the show now draws more than 2,000 attendees.

Tickets are $20 ($15 for students) and available online through Ticketmaster, or at the ticket office in Stephens. The office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Additional information about the show is online.

The Fashion Show 2008

Friday, April 25

Stephens Auditorium

5:30 exhibit, 6:30 p.m. runway show

Tickets: $20 public, $15 students