May 9: Fashion show
Students showcase original designs at Synergy event
2:09 p.m., May 5, 2015--Geometry and sustainability will be on display at the annual student fashion show presented by Synergy Fashion Group at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 9, in the Multipurpose Room of the Trabant University Center.
Each year, Synergy students host the show to feature the three- or four-piece design collections of seniors majoring in apparel design in the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies.
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This year’s theme for the designs is geometry, and the students also are required to include an element of sustainability.
Besides the main Senior Collections category, there are two other categories in the show: Blank Canvas and Open Submission. For design entries, Open Submission is open to sophomore and junior apparel design majors, and Blank Canvas is open to all UD students.
While many students involved in Synergy are apparel design and fashion merchandising majors, a variety of other student backgrounds are involved. In addition to designing items for the show, students run such operations as fundraising, logistics, photo shoots and set design.
Synergy also teamed up with visual communications majors to change the branding and promotion of Synergy Fashion Group to give it a stronger brand awareness. Organizers say the new logo and branding package has also enhanced the group’s online presence.
Preparation for the annual show begins in early summer. The show is entirely produced by its student members, with all designs made from scratch. After the designs are complete, designers work with models at fittings to tailor the perfect fit. These models are from Barbizon, a professional modeling company based in Wilmington, Delaware.
After multiple fittings, rehearsals are scheduled to ensure that everything is set for the opening show to run smoothly — complete with lights, a backdrop, a runway and professional models to showcase the designs.
Dani Civil, a senior apparel design major, is president of Synergy Fashion Group and has been involved with the show all her four years. She is busy coordinating the different elements that make the show come together.
“What’s great is the merging of so many different majors creating art and design in a professional setting and seeing what people on campus can really do, and every ounce is student-run,” she said. “It’s great just being able to see what you worked so hard on showcased.”
The Synergy Fashion Show has been an annual event for many years.
“The show has a long history here at UD and continues to be a source of pride for the fashion and apparel department,” said faculty adviser Brenda Shaffer, instructor in fashion and apparel studies.
Tickets for the show are on sale in the Trabant Box Office and on Ticketmaster for $15. The event is open to the public.
For a video about Synergy, click here.
Article by Ashley Heller
Photos by Wenbo Fan