Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i FashionShow Magazine

BFA Fashion Designer Haemi Lee and BFA Textile Designer Claudia Ayleen Nicholas unite their beliefs for a collection named The Shape of God, aiming to represent the sublime nature of the Christian God. Taking visual inspiration from artist Susan Maddux, Haemi took pleated cotton and draped it over the human form, representing the infinite God – who transcends space, time, and reality. She chose to use cotton, framed as a common and affordable cloth, as the main fabric to represent the God’s humbleness, and used additional fabrics such as lame to also showcase His divine nature. All the fabric is hand painted by Ayleen, using Dye-Na-Flow Colors sponsored by Jacquard Products. Each piece was created as an abstract painting that is then folded into clothing. Haemi explained the overall feel…

Growing up, building relationships, and making connections were the most important aspects of Kira Chen’s life. Born in Castro Valley, she was raised in a family that emphasized the significance of connection. Her final collection is inspired by Hong Kong film director Wong Kar-Wai’s Love Trilogy and the concept of “Kizuna,” which translates to “the bond that connects us.” She drew key inspiration from the films, as she felt deeply moved by the main characters and felt a parallel connection to their lives. “Through my collection, I hope to showcase the raw emotions that arise from connecting with others and building relationships as we grow,” explained Chen. To express her feelings through her garments, she primarily uses red and black colors to symbolize femininity and love, incorporating materials such…

Born in Shaoxing, China, MFA Fashion Designer Yujing Wang mixes Chinese culture with elements of the self in her collection. Shanghai was a large source of inspiration for the designer, using old Shanghai style cheongsams as a base for her garments. “I personally love Chinese culture, and I love to watch how they use those Intangible Cultural Heritage techniques on social media,” shared Wang. “During my undergraduate years, I took a special class to learn about traditional Chinese clothing and the history of clothing in China.” Wang also implements the meaning of the self into her modernized qipaos, like the use of dragons to represent her zodiac sign and color palette inspired by her name’s meaning (Yu Jing means “Jade Well” in Chinese). The designer experimented in her collection, using…

A collection by Cailee Lola Grayhorse Pupecki, B.F.A. Fashion Design, is a love letter to the sport that shaped her. “That’s why I decided to make softball uniforms—just to show my gratitude for the sport and also my gratitude for the sisterhood that I’ve created,” said Pupecki. Originally from Southern California, Pupecki played softball for 15 years. Her designs reinterpret traditional baseball and softball uniforms through an unexpected lens. “I researched a lot of old baseball and softball uniforms and then created new uniforms,” said Pupecki. “When I say unconventional, it’s like I’m having people on the field play in suits or dresses, or skirts—things you really wouldn’t expect.” Pupecki draws heavily from personal experience and visual symbolism. One of her standout illustrations features pigeons, that she connected with the…

Abuse, verbal or otherwise, is not something that is easily explained to an outsider. One can say it is a very personal experience, one that no one should have to go through. Dongying Jiang, B.F.A. Fashion Design, uses her collection to give those who have suffered or are going through verbal abuse a voice and to truly evoke emotion in her viewers. “The transparent fabrics symbolize fragility and exposure, which directly convey the sense of vulnerability of those who are verbally attacked,” explained Jiang. “When this happens, their weaknesses are exposed without any way to protect themselves.” Her use of transparent fabrics on the outer layer of the silhouettes implies that, especially in vulnerability, there is still a need for protection. Her lightly saturated red inner linings provide internal coverage…

The League to Save Lake Tahoe presented its annual benefit fashion show and luncheon featuring the global launch of the Oscar de la Renta Pre-Spring 2026 collection, designed by Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia. The annual fashion show and luncheon tradition dates back to 1969 when models walked barefoot down a plywood runway, showcasing designer Bill Blass’s collection to 100 guests as they enjoyed box lunches, seated on picnic benches on the shores of beautiful Lake Tahoe. In 1999, Bill Blass handed the baton to the legendary Oscar de la Renta. Now in its 56th year, the fashion show has evolved into a widely anticipated fundraiser for the League to Save Lake Tahoe, resulting in over $27 million raised that has powered the League’s decades of successful work to keep…

MFA Costume Designer Patric Yikun Wang’s collection celebrates drag and the art of transformation, showcasing an impressive balance between glamour and elegance and the grotesque imagery. Corsets and padding are crafted with used materials. Through the use of stacking and teasing wigs and his knowledge of millinery, he creates giant, structured headwear pieces to work as companions to his garments. “I am inspired with building the body shape and padding using all these scraps and things around the queer community, like condoms, which are associated with AIDS, and pills.” Patric explained, “We can have so much information and messages just in the garment itself. Drag, on a larger scale, is what we do every single day when we put a garment on, when we step out the door, to talk…

MFA Fashion Designer Chase Duval-Champagne emphasizes the importance of classical art training and a fusion of art and fashion in their thesis collection. Through out their creative journey, Chase engaged in a diverse range of artistic pursuits that include photography, poetry, painting and drawing, interior design and restoration, landscaping, oral arrangements, and more. Explaining their concept and artistry, they shared: “An intriguing exploration, a chaos story in fashion, art, and neurodiversity, this collection of wearable art displays a range of striking formats, intricately depicting the journey of a neurodivergent individual grappling with anxiety within the creative realm. Each piece narrates a compelling story, intertwining aesthetic allure with profound emotional resonance, inviting viewers to engage with the complex nature of creativity and the challenges it entails especially for those who have…

A unique aspect of having a different background is the opportunity to discover a rich culture. Devashree Jhaveri, B.F.A. Fashion Design, was born in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, and was raised by her mother, a textile collector. Growing up, she learned a great deal about textiles from her mother and now aspires to share her culture and elevate Indian textiles on a global stage. Jhaveri’s Spring 2025 collection explores her emotional connection with the spirit world. She drew inspiration from the song “DAKLA” by Bandish Projekt, which made her realize the depth of her connection to the piece. “Hearing the song takes me to a different place, where my mind and body dance with feelings of love, anger, happiness, sadness, and so much more,” explained Jhaveri. Through her work, she aims…

Biodegradable materials, recycled fibers, and 3D printing; not the typical elements you’d expect to see in a fashion show, but they came together perfectly for this oceanic collaborative collection, by Kendra Rae, BFA Fashion Design, and Gigi Youngbauer, BFA Textile Designer. One of the more impressive and innovative parts of this collection is Kendra’s use of a newly publicly available biodegradable filament, a first of its kind. The collection is inspired by seafoam and rock formations found on beaches. Featuring seven looks, with a variety of unique silhouettes and equally distinct handiwork, just like waves or incoming tides, each piece is different and offbeat in its compelling way. Exemplifying her proficiency in the breadth and depth of textile and yarnwork, the textile design collaborator Gigi Youngbauer’s fully handmade two-piece summer…

MFA Fashion Designer Mel Lamore’s debut collection is quiet, raw, and deeply personal. Built around their own experience with depression, the work is fragile and held together by a thread, draped with softness, and often on the edge of unraveling. “It’s like it’s falling apart at the seams,” shared Lamore. Their designs feature hand-made thread mesh, delicate finishes, and a color palette of whites, slate grays, and washed periwinkle. “It wasn’t about fabric quality, really,” they explained. “It was more about how it feels. Comfort is really important to me.” Lamore doesn’t follow a clean, step-by-step process. “I work intuitively but also as a planner, and it’s a very chaotic process,” they said. Lamore sketched loosely, draped with paper, built things up and tore them down again. “I tried to…

In an era where bridal fashion often dances between fleeting trends and Pinterest-perfect repetition, one designer dared to look inward—toward the soul, the sacred, and the sublime. On a radiant evening at Conrad Manila, during the hotel’s annual Inspired Beginnings Bridal Fair, Ehrran Montoya debuted his latest—and arguably most defining—bridal couture collection: Secrets of Awakening. But this was no mere fashion show. It was a spiritual unfolding. Montoya transformed the traditional runway into a consecrated space—a place where identity, grace, and faith could walk hand in hand. The audience didn’t just witness beauty; they experienced revelation. Every gown was a story. Every silhouette, a sermon. Every bride, a mirror of the divine feminine—fierce, flawed, radiant, and rising. THE DESIGNER AS VISIONARY: A JOURNEY BEYOND AESTHETICS Ehrran Montoya is not simply…

July 12, 2025 Festival Napa Valley’s Arts for All Gala raised a record-breaking $5 million on Sunday, July 13, further cementing its place as one of the nation’s leading fundraisers for education and the arts. Held at Nickel & Nickel, part of the House of Far Niente, the sold-out gala featured a stirring performance by seven-time GRAMMY® and Oscar®-winner Jon Batiste, a high energy live auction led by celebrated auctioneer and author Lydia Fenet, and an elegant dinner curated by James Beard Award-winning Chef Rogelio Garcia of Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley, paired with exceptional House of Far Niente wines. Notable attendees included Marchese Piero Antinori, Robin & Michelle Baggett, Athena & Timothy Blackburn, Gina Gallo & Jean-Charles Boisset, Steph & Tim Busch, Tatiana & Gerret Copeland, Suzanne Deal…

BFA Knitwear designer Dominic Godina combines knit and crochet craftmanship as a skillful approach to textile design. His collection “Memory of the Waters” celebrates the feeling of being nurtured when connecting with nature. Moss, wisteria trees, vines, and the ocean were the forefront of Dominic’s inspiration when creating his designs. In each look there are repetitions of patterns and textures to highlight nature’s amazing fractal structure. Living in San Francisco, he feels a special connection with nature he didn’t experience before in his life, and he felt inspired to translate this through his thesis. When describing his unique approach, Dominic shared: “I wanted the process of creating my collection to also have a connection to nature, so I put an emphasis on what our human hands can do. The majority…

BFA Fashion Designer Vanda Ouyang decided to use her collection to embrace nostalgia. Titled “The Smell of Stars”, her concept takes the audience on a journey of what one can imagine stars would smell and taste like. This would include certain scents such as gunpowder, liquid metal, and even welding fumes. She translates these sensory impressions into her design with the experimentation of burning the fabrics to create raw, uncontrolled textures. She implements sequins and delicate lace to capture the radiant, shimmery quality of stars. Vanda explained that her collection is inspired by the book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. ““From my childhood memories of reading a book by myself, biting my fingers, and having that sensorial curiosity, it made me want to explore other random things in…

Inspired by Alaska’s rugged glacier terrain, B.F.A. Fashion Design student Emma Latham began her collection by purchasing a second-hand tent from Facebook Marketplace. She draped and cut the material onto a mannequin, using it as the foundation for a concept that soon took her into the Alaskan wild. “I knew what a glacier was, but never really knew what it would really look like up close,” said Latham. “I was really inspired by just the depth that the crevasses go for miles and miles and miles.” To convey that scale, Latham printed her own glacier photography onto fabric and contrasted it with stark matte black materials, reflecting nature’s vastness and mystery. She also incorporated neon survival gear used in Arctic conditions. “I was just constantly being like, make it bigger,…

A fashion collection that is a blossom of cultures, Hannah Kim, B.F.A. Fashion Design, blends ‘60s and ‘70s San Francisco with her Korean heritage creating a unique mix of silhouettes and textiles. Upon moving to San Francisco for college from Korea, Kim had an epiphany that served as inspiration for her thesis collection. “It was a trend to move to California for all the young people,” said Kim. “I resonated with it. It felt like I was one of those ‘60s hippies.” Parallels meet with her inspiration with the bokjumeoni, a coin bag purse, used in the Joseon Dynasty in Korea inspires the details for the tassels, knots, and shapes of the looks. The city’s rich history of self-expression and the liveliness of its youth do not go unnoticed. Taking…

M.F.A. Fashion Designer Martharine Anne Olivia Jabo’s thesis collection, titled “URITHI,” which means Heritage in Swahili, embodies aspects of a rich African heritage fused with modern elements of design and premium craftsmanship. “Urithi” is a re-interpretation of African fashion and culture into contemporary fashion. “This is a collection that’s a celebration of my cultural identity, a preservation of traditional African practices that showcases the uniqueness, beauty, and diversity of African fashion to a wider audience,” shared Jabo. “Some of the traditional elements included in the garments are beadwork, use of traditional African woven fabrics, fabric manipulation, silhouettes, as well as ancient beauty practices like the wearing of lip plates and body art techniques.” As a way of preserving her African heritage and cultural practices, Jabo chose to use sustainable fabrics…

Born and raised in the Philippines, Ana Amigo-Antonio grew up dreaming of one day becoming the president. She carried that ambition well into her twenties, driven by a conviction that the Philippines had the untapped potential to offer a better quality of life for the everyday Filipino. Beyond the beauty and charm of the country, Ana saw its deeper struggles and envisioned herself as someone who could help uplift others and create meaningful change. While she may not have fulfilled her lifelong dream, her journey speaks volumes in her career and personal life, making an equal impact on the community and among the people around her. “I may never become the president of the Philippines, but I believe in leading with intention in everything I do, because not everyone knows…

July 18, 2025…