Three years ago, as apparel, textiles and design majors prepared to host their annual fashion show, Moscowrade, there was an incident in the sewing lab.
University of Idaho senior Caitlin Askew was a first-year student in the apparel, textiles and design program at the time.
Guadalupe Gutierrez | Courtesy
Sydney Halper walks the runway during the 2013 Moscowrade fashion show.
“I was still learning how to sew. We had an incident in the sewing lab where a lot of garments actually got taken,” Askew said. “I had originally not been planning on putting anything in and our teacher was like, “OK, I need people to submit more stuff.””
She was new to the program, but Askew still managed to pull together materials and was able to provide a finished product to be presented in the fashion show.
“It was really cool, as a freshman, to see my garment go down with all the other work that had been done by our seniors and our other great people,” Askew said. “It was really cool to actually experience that and see my stuff on the runway.”
Although the fashion show is operating under the new name of the Ritchie Fashion Show and Exhibition, it is still providing students with the chance to showcase their designs.
Guadalupe Gutierrez, UI senior and director of this year”s fashion show, said the show was renamed in honor of one of the founders of the university”s Family and Consumer Life Sciences department, Margaret Ritchie.
In the past, the fashion show was hosted by the apparel, textiles and design department. This year, Gutierrez said the event was planned by a committee of undergraduate students advised by a graduate student.
“Over the years, it was combined show between community and students,” Gutierrez said. “This year, we decided to establish it more for students. We thought it was best for the students to get more recognition over the work they do.”
The money raised during this year”s fashion show will be donated to the charity, Together We Rise.
Askew said the organization supplies children in the foster care system with supplies that help them transition between homes.
“Together We Rise is an organization that helps kids in the foster care system,” Askew said. “It gives them permanent supplies as they move from home to home and they aid in education.”
Sydney Halper, Miss USA Idaho, is among the students on the fashion show committee. Gutierrez said part of the reason why the committee chose to donate to Together We Rise is because Halper, who was adopted as a child, is an advocate of adoption.
While the event showcases work designed and made by students, it also includes an exhibit of the university”s historic dress collection, live performances, food and beverages.
In the past, Askew said student designers have even created garments using recycled materials.
“One of the components this fashion show was founded on was working on up-cycling, so taking things that already exist and changing them and updating them,” Askew said. “We”ll have a whole section dedicated to that. I know in the past people have done paper cups or bags – one gal made a gown out of black trash bags.”
UI Junior Halle Gilbert is participating in the fashion show for the first time this year. She said she”s excited to see the product of collaboration between students, university and community sponsors.
“It”s a really great way to support a program that doesn”t get a lot of recognition at U of I due to the nature of the programs that are emphasized,” Gilbert said. “These students work really, really hard and are definitely going places in terms of careers. It”s fun to support it and it”s a different type of event than you would normally see in Moscow.”
The Ritchie Fashion Show and Exhibition will take place at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Vandal Ballroom of the Bruce M. Pitman Center. Tickets are $13 and all proceeds will be donated to Together We Rise.
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @corrbond