RU collection to hit the runway this weekend
A student model poses in a one-of-a-kind gown during the 2012 Spring Fashion Show.
Radford University fashion design students will put their high-style creations where they belong—on the runway—at the annual Spring Fashion Show on Saturday, March 30.
The show, produced entirely by students, is the culmination of the Department of Interior Design & Fashion's (ID&F) annual two-week senior showcase, a capstone project for graduating students and an opportunity to display their work for the public while demonstrating their proficiency and readiness to enter a highly competitive field.
Design students create the garments, merchandising students produce and manage all aspects of the fashion show, and students from across campus take to the runway as models. The garments are judged by a panel of fashion industry professionals.
"It is amazing to see how far they’ve come in their accomplishments," said Kathy Mitchell, an associate professor of fashion at Radford for 23 years. Throughout her tenure, she has been impressed by the strong work ethic and tireless dedication demonstrated by the students as their talents evolve.
The fashion show will be at 7 p.m. at Bondurant Auditorium in Preston Hall. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. A reception in the Preston Hall lobby will follow. Tickets may be purchased by calling (540) 831-5386.
Preceding the show this year is a new event, the Fashion Fete. The reception and fundraiser will be hosted by the Radford University Arts Society for all members of the community who wish to support design education at RU. Proceeds will directly benefit the ID&F Guest Speaker Series, which brings design professionals to campus. The cost will be $50 per person for the fete, to be held from 5 to 6:45 p.m. in the Covington Center for Visual and Performing Arts. Make reservations by calling (540) 831-5407.
As in years past, this year's senior showcase features work in both fashion design and interior design. Student work exhibited in previous senior showcases has won a number of regional and national awards.
Senior interior design students display their concepts for home and office, while senior fashion design students are given 48 hours to design a conceptual garment. This year, the students were challenged to design garments based on the artwork of late RU Distinguished Professor of Art Dorothy Gillespie.
The senior exhibition is on display through Saturday, March 30, at the Radford University Art Museum at the Covington Center. A closing reception that day, free and open to the public, will be from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the museum.
Radford's Department of Interior Design & Fashion was named a "Top 10 Design Program in the U.S." for 2011 by DesignIntelligence magazine.
Learn more about Radford University at www.radford.edu.