January 11, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Student Designs Captivate the Catwalk:

Cameras flash, the audience cheers, and graceful models strut the runway in brilliant ensembles. On Thursday, June 16, Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Fashion Program held its annual LA Mode fashion show at Barnum Hall in Santa Monica. Enrolled in SMC’s Fashion Program, 13 student designers from all over the world produced an individual collection as their two-year fashion studies came to a close.

Each with a different inspiration for his or her collection, the designers created four distinct looks worn by student models on the night of the show.

In addition to the designers, a student-run production team was divided into committees in charge of coordinating the technical aspects of the show, including public relations, casting models, creating a social media presence, set design, working with student photographers and the art department, and making sure the entire night went smoothly.

A competition element of the evening saw a judging panel of professional designers, stylists, costume designers, and retailers ultimately selecting the best collections to be awarded in four categories: marketability, technical achievement, creative achievement, and outstanding collection.

The show featured a variety of fabrics, colors, and styles in general, reflecting the designers’ inspiration – many hailing from far-away places like Sweden and Japan, as well as nearby San Francisco and Los Angeles. Producer’s assistant, public relations coordinator, and SMC student Raquel Medina expressed excitement about each of the collections prior to the event.

“I’m so excited for the collections because we have such a wide range of designers, it’s not just one specific category,” Medina said. “Nothing is exactly the same, none of them are inspired by the exact same thing, none of them have the exact same colors, so it’s really beautiful to see how we are so diverse, coming from different parts of the world, and how we all come together for this event.”

The first collection shown on the runway, Love Bug, was designed by Alicia Hicks. Hicks’ goal was to bring back “simplicity, innocence, and fashion” through the looks, created especially for children.

Another collection, Nissa, combined western, classical, and Middle Eastern styles through its four individual looks. Designer, Turkia Douaodabou, said she was inspired by the gray and silver colors of the ocean before sunset.

The winning looks in the categories of creative achievement and outstanding collection were designed by Kathy Zarbakhsh. Named Katz, the collection represented a new, different style that Zarbakhsh described as “avant-garde.”

“I love fashion, so I’m going to be designing collections more and more with all kinds of crazy fabrics and crazy designs,” Zarbakhsh said. “I really love to challenge myself with things that are new and aren’t common, so I will continue doing that.”

The winning collection in the other two categories, marketability and technical achievement, was fri.elisab.sjøn, designed by Frida Sjoedin. Sjoedin took her inspiration from childhood memories of her heritage and culture as well as her experiences in Los Angeles.

Truly a collaborative event, the night came to a close with all of the designers, models, and members of the production team taking the stage to be showered in colorful balloons.

in News
<>Related Posts

Breaking News: The Palisades Fire Mandatory Evacuation Area Expanded in Brentwood

January 10, 2025

January 10, 2025

LA Fire Expands Evacuation Orders in Brentwood, and Evacuation Warnings in West LA As of 7:00 p.m., the previously announced...

First Death Reported in Pali Fire, More than 5,300 Structures Damaged

January 10, 2025

January 10, 2025

Just before news hit of the Malibu death, officials had announced that over 5,300 residences, businesses and other structures have...

Blame and Questions Surround Palisades Fire Response as Caruso Admits Hiring Private Firefighters

January 10, 2025

January 10, 2025

Critics point fingers at Mayor Bass and Local Officials During the First Night of the Inferno By Dolores Quintana There...

Breaking News: 6% Containment Achieved in Palisades Fire; Tragic Death Confirmed, Federal Government to Cover Costs

January 9, 2025

January 9, 2025

Firefighters Battle the Destructive Blaze With Reinforcements From Multiple States On the third day of the Palisades Fire, at last,...

Gladstone’s Restaurant, Parish of St. Matthew Suffer Partial Damage from Pali Fire

January 9, 2025

January 9, 2025

A host of precious landmarks, institutions and establishments have vanished in flames in the last three days as the raging...

Disaster Assistance Available for L.A. County Wildfire Victims Through FEMA

January 9, 2025

January 9, 2025

Apply Online or by Phone; Emergency Shelters Open for Displaced Residents Los Angeles County residents impacted by recent wildfires can...

Santa Monica-Malibu Schools to Remain Closed Friday Due to Fire Impacts

January 9, 2025

January 9, 2025

SMMUSD Announces Support Services and Meals Offered for Families As of 1:55 p.m., the Santa Monica-Malibu School District has announced...

Pedestrian Killed in Marina del Rey Hit-and-Run, $50K Reward Offered For Information

January 9, 2025

January 9, 2025

The Driver Failed to Stop, Render Aid, or Identify Themselves, as Required by Law Detectives from the Los Angeles Police...

Beloved Westside Restaurants Destroyed in Palisades Fire

January 9, 2025

January 9, 2025

Iconic eateries like Moonshadows Lost to Destructive Blaze Sadly, several historic and well-loved restaurants were lost in the Palisades Fire....

Palisades Village Area Unrecognizable As Smoke Clears

January 9, 2025

January 9, 2025

Several Businesses are Skeletal Embers of Themselves By Zach Armstrong Downtown Palisades is unrecognizable with several beloved businesses and structures...

Santa Monica Issues Emergency Order, Imposes Nighttime Curfew Amid Pali Fire

January 8, 2025

January 8, 2025

Approximately 2,472 Households in Northern Santa Monica Are Currently Under Mandatory Evacuation, With an Additional 8,338 Households Under Voluntary Evacuation...

Historic Will Rogers Ranch, Topanga Ranch Motel Wiped Out in Palisades Fire

January 8, 2025

January 8, 2025

The Destruction of These Sites Are Among Many in the Palisades, Where a Multitude of Landmarks and Establishments, in Addition...

Breaking News: Day Two of the Palisades Fire: Updates and Latest Information

January 8, 2025

January 8, 2025

This Devastating Fire Has Spread to Santa Monica and With Zero Containment After 24 Hours In one day, the Palisades...

Here’s What’s Been Damaged After One Day of Devastating, 3,000-Acre Palisades Fire

January 8, 2025

January 8, 2025

An evacuation center at Westwood Recreation Center, located at 1350 S Sepulveda Blvd., is open for evacuees and accepts small...

Authorities Extinguish Small Fire on Side of Marina del Rey Apartment Building

January 8, 2025

January 8, 2025

A Video Posted on the Citizen App Showed Multiple Police Cars on the Scene By Zach Armstrong Deputies extinguished a...