California Apparel News

Students Vanessa Garduntilde;o and Joanna Huezo were bold enough to buck their school’s fashion tradition.

For more than 20 years, the annual Spring fashion show produced by the fashion department of California State University at Northridge seemed more like a diamond in the rough than a gem: The show was held at an open-air plaza on the campus during the distinctly unglamorous time of the lunch hour.

Graduating seniors Garduntilde;o and Huezo felt that the problem was nothing more than an issue of perception—the show needed a better venue, after-hours scheduling and a little theater to make the presentations of student fashion dazzle. So the pair joined forces with Trends, the school’s student fashion organization, to make a new fashion tradition at their college.

Trends raised $1,500 from several fundraisers during the school year and received $2,500 from the student government to pay for the new format.

The Spring show was held at night, on April 27, at the Northridge Center, the campus theater. Hip-hop dancers, musicians and a master of ceremonies helped create the desired sense of theater, and the 15 student designers featured in the show were profiled in a program produced for the event.

The fashion show featured 120 pieces that drew inspiration from around the globe. Sara Nagvi took inspiration from traditional South Asian dress for her sheer creations. Designers Yuki Kawabuchi and Regina Hodges partnered to create the line YG, which drew from hiphop and romantic styles. And Kim McConnell took inspiration from the natural beauty of the Bahamas for her swimwear and accessory line Kimberley Nicole.

More than 400 people attended the show, which turned into a standing-room-only affair. Senior Regina Hodges said the fashion students hardly believed that their work would pay off so well.

“I was in awe,” Hodges said. “So many people were interested in student design!” —Andrew Asch