Students Find 'Connections' in 11th Annual Runway Fashion Show

Student designers in Buffalo State’s Fashion and Textile Technology (FTT) Department understand the importance of creating balance and finding connections between different elements in design, as in life.

To communicate this idea, they chose “Interconnect” as the theme for this year’s Runway fashion show. The 11th annual show will be held Saturday, April 21, at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. It highlights the juried work of 25 student designers and includes 100 models and approximately 100 students working behind the scenes.

“The theme considers connecting community, curiosity, culture, and creativity when making a new design,” said Erin Habes, ’03, FTT lecturer and Runway coordinator. “We encouraged students to think about connections in the world today. One student’s Women and Gender Studies class sparked her idea to create a denim collection that embodies female empowerment. Another student was inspired by the cycles of the moon and how they affect the earth. All our designers had such an interesting take on our theme this year.”

Founded in 2008, Runway provides a professional venue for students enrolled in Apparel Design, Textile Design, and Fashion Show Production courses to showcase their talents. Designers are required to submit their creations to a jury composed of industry experts a month prior to the event. Only the best designers are invited to participate. The jury also selects first and second place and student collection winners.

This year’s show includes two collaborations. The first is between the FTT Department and Cotton Inc., a North Carolina-based organization that helps companies manufacture, market, and sell cotton products more efficiently. Through a grant, students made a special collection with all-cotton fabric. 

The second is a collaboration between students in associate professor of art and design Carol Townsend’s Design 101 and those in assistant professor of FTT Brianna Plummer’s Fashion Technology course.

The collaboration emulates the industry standard of designers selling their work to major fashion companies who then use them to develop fresh surface designs for their garments each season, Habes explained. Plummer’s students prepared industry-ready repeats of the 13 designs created by the Design 101 students. 

“This unique double collaboration was extremely valuable to student learning,” Habes said. “The students have experienced new avenues of inspiration, developed collaborative relationships with students from varying fields of study, and visualized their designs in new and exciting ways.”

Tickets to the 3:00 p.m. show are $10 for students and $15 for the general public. General admission tickets to the 8:00 p.m. show are $25; there also are $100 VIP tickets that include reserved seating, access to a private VIP lounge, a cocktail and hors-d'oeuvres reception, and a swag bag.

All proceeds go toward the college’s FTT Scholarship Fund. For more information, call (716) 878-3478 or visit runway.buffalostate.edu.