For graduating fashion design (FD) students at the Wilson College of Textiles, the most exciting “walk across the stage” of their college career isn’t the one they’ll make in a cap and gown. Instead, it’s the path they take behind a line of models wearing their designs.
Seniors earning their B.S. in Fashion and Textile Design develop a collection each spring for the degree’s capstone course. Each student in the FD concentration must create either six or eight looks for the FTD Emerging Designers Showcase, depending on whether or not they’re enrolled in the accelerated bachelor’s/master’s program.
The student designers have complete creative freedom in choosing the inspiration for their collections. As opposed to a typical instructor role, faculty in this course serve as a guide, mentor and resource to help students achieve their goals.
“It was rewarding to see how the students grew in the past few years,” Associate Professor Minyoung Suh says. She taught many of the student designers in other courses before they entered this Emerging Designers class in spring 2022. “I can see that they’re developing their skills and improving their professionalism from diverse perspectives.”
Sustainability as a Starting Point
This year, some designers focused on taking “sustainability fashion” from buzzword to reality. Mara Harris used no-waste pattern-making techniques to create each of the looks in her collection, “Kinship.”
“I tried to think about pattern making in an unconventional way to where I’d use all of the fabric that I have for each of the pieces,” Mara says. “So I shaped the front, back, sleeves and other pieces of the garment in a way that they fit together kind of like a puzzle and none of the fabric is wasted.”
An independent study with Professor Kate Annett-Hitchcock that focused on no-waste patternmaking set her up for success with this innovative approach.
“Kinship” | Mara Harris
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“Kinship” by Mara Harris drew inspiration from the designer’s rural upbringing. “I wanted to combine those ideas of playfulness and utility in my designs,” Harris says of her collection. “Kinship” marked the first time Mara worked with denim. “Kinship” by Mara Harris draws from memories of growing up in Burlington, North Carolina. Mara Harris makes alterations to a prototype in the fashion studio. Denim and sharp tailoring provide cohesion in the “Kinship” collection. Mara Harris (left) walks behind the models wearing her collection, “Kinship.” Models wearing every look of Mara Harris’ collection, “Kinship” walk the runway.
Emma Harris used all upcycled fabrics and materials in her collection “Reclaimed.” This sourcing gave unique character to her pieces, including silk covered in a kitschy golf print that she used for suit lining. It also, however, demanded a new level of care and precision.
“The absolute biggest challenge was my limited quantity of the fabrics that I really like. I had one shot when I cut it out,” Emma says. “It was a lot of prototyping to make sure that when I cut into that fabric, I wasn’t wasting it because I couldn’t find it again.”
Putting a Bachelor of Science to Work in the Studio
To achieve the cohesion and color palette required of a professional-caliber collection, Emma had to dye her own fabrics. While her STEM fashion education provided her with some basic knowledge of color chemistry, Emma ran into a unique problem: her up-cycled fabrics didn’t come with any information about their composition.
However, she had an expert ready to help just down the hall. Jeffrey Krauss, manager of the college’s Dyeing and Finishing Lab, performed burn tests on fabric samples to learn more about their yarns. That gave Emma the information she needed to dye her fabrics using the lab’s industrial-grade equipment.
“It was nice to be involved in a different aspect of what I usually do with textiles and fashion,” she says.
“Reclaimed” | Emma Harris
“Reclaimed” by Emma Harris featured only up-cycled deadstock and secondhand fabrics. Emma’s collection draws from 1930s silhouettes, which she became familiar with as a vintage collector. “Another aspect of ‘Reclaimed,'” Emma says. “Is reclaiming those vintage silhouettes to fit somebody who identifies as male to dress more feminine if they want to.” Emma worked with the college’s Dyeing and Finishing Lab to effectively dye her thrifted and donated fabrics consistently. Tailored apparel provided cohesion throughout “Reclaimed.” “Reclaimed” by Emma Harris. A number of Wilson College students modeled in the FTD Emerging Designers Show. Emma Harris used this silk fabric with a golfer print as a suit lining in her collection.
Anne Graf put her physics double-major to use for her collection “(R) Magic.” Her looks incorporated everything from string lights to fiber optic cables and soldered metal accents. She even 3-D printed a topic with motorized elements.
Prior knowledge in mini-computers and coding helped her execute some of these innovative designs, but she chalks most of her success to trial and error.
She plans to use this collection to apply to graduate physics programs.
“A lot of it is showing admissions that I can creatively solve problems because this is stuff that nobody has done before,” she says.
“(R) Magic” | Anne Graf
“(R) Magic” by Anne Graf. Anne Graf knits fairy lights together. Anne Graf works on a circuit for her collection (R) Magic. “(R) Magic” by Anne Graf. Anne Graf used motors to make the fan on the right sleeve of the model move. She also 3D printed the winged vest. Anne Graf used fiber optics to create light-up pants for “(R) Magic.” “(R) Magic” by Anne Graf.
Using Fashion to “Take Up Space”
The Emerging Designers runway provided Schuyler Broadway with the opportunity to spotlight his community and lived experience.
“It’s really based on my experiences as a queer and trans person in the fetishwear community,” he says.
The collection, “Behind Closed Doors,” served not only as a message, but also as a celebration. To make that celebration authentic, Broadway chose all trans models, many of whom are coworkers from NC State’s GLBT Center.
“Every look was custom-fit not only to their measurements, but also to their personality and their style,” he explains.
Sarah Jarrell also found inspiration in her NC State community for her collection, “Optic Burst.”
“I am kind of trying to market towards the rave culture, which is really big within the Asian culture and Asian-American culture,” she says. “A lot of my friends go to raves. But a lot of rave clothing tends to show a lot of skin, so I designed my collection for people who maybe don’t want to wear something as revealing, but still want to wear something fun, unique and flashy.”
What’s Next?
The skills and portfolios these students developed have helped them land jobs at Abercrombie & Fitch, Under Armour, Kohl’s and more.
“I’ve definitely pushed myself more creatively than in the past. And even technically, what I’ve made for this collection is much more difficult,” Carley Plummer says of her collection “Beauty and the Mundane.” “I’ve gained a lot of confidence and it’s shown me that I do really have the ability to become a designer.”
Explore more FTD Emerging Designers’ Collections:
“An Unknown Ending” by Lizzie Barnhardt. “In Unison” by Candace Willett. “Beauty and the Mundane” by Carley Plummer. “In my Head” by Ashley Irwin. “Milk & Sugar” by Jessica Crockett. “Scarlet” by Deja Herelle. “On Cleaner Shores” by Brooklyn Franke. “Serpentina” by Hannah Weaver. “Velera” by Anne Lacey Seaton.
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