In the spirit of Austin Fashion Week, fashion enthusiasts come together to support the senior designers at UT. Sticking to tradition, the University Fashion Group (UFG) plans to present their yearly senior fashion show, Spectrum, on Thursday, April 24 at 7:15 p.m. at the Frank Erwin Center.
Story by Kristen Hubby
Sponsored by Lexus of Austin, Spectrum will be the official kick-off for Austin Fashion Week, a seven-day showcase for Austin’s style-obsessed. The event starts with Fashion Alley, a display of some of Austin’s most exciting retail experts, as well as fashion and beauty oriented businesses, in the Frank Erwin Center’s foyer. Around the same time, the “Immersed in Cotton Room,” sponsored by Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton University, will be located in the venue’s Lone Star Room. “Immersed in Cotton” will feature student research and design projects and entries from the Lexus Design Challenge.
Last year, the senior fashion show, Transcend, brought in 5,000 attendees. This year, Spectrum expects to have an even larger audience, plus head-turning effects. The masterminds behind Spectrum, UFG members do “everything from start to finish for the show,” Natalie Poché, president of UFG, says.
Senior designers will present more than 120 original designs, showcasing an exciting array of textures and techniques to make show-stopping impressions. Each of the designs has a unique theme and everything from sports wear to infused technology will be seen throughout the collections.
Senior designer Ronit Joselevitz pays homage to Mexico City with her collection “Ciudadela.” “I wanted to capture my favorite city and visualize the idea that Mexico City is a cosmopolitan city at the cornerstone of an old one by blending modern designs with traditional details,” Joselevitz says. Her collection features a combination of minimal and modern silhouettes and embroidery details reminiscent of the indigenous culture in Mexico.
“Spectrum” Editorial Shoot Slideshow:
The senior designers work on their collections throughout the fall and spring semesters of their senior year. The designers work long nights and sometimes more than 100 hours in the design lab to ensure the perfection of every detail. “There were many times where I stayed all night and left the lab at 7 a.m. to shower and go to my first class of the day,” Joselevitz says.
From sketching to draping to pattern-making, cutting and sewing, Poché says the road to the senior design show is “definitely a process.”
Although “Spectrum” is free to the public, tickets must be picked up at the Frank Erwin Center box office before the show.
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