The University of Rhode Island’s Fashion Merchandising Society hosted its first-ever fashion showcase on Dec. 5 to promote work created by Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design majors who have not taken classes to qualify for the Spring Splash show.
The club has wanted to host an event like this since last year, according to their co-president Ava Aymie. Originally, they had aimed to have a full fashion show but didn’t have the budget for it this year, so they settled on having a showcase instead.
“I hope that the club members are showing interest in this and tonight goes successfully because I know this is something that I’ve been wanting to do and I know that other members have been wanting to do for a long time,” Aymie said.
The executive board for FMS is made up of seniors this year. They hope that this event will continue to grow even after they graduate, according to Aymie.
The club also hopes to gain more exposure through this event, according to co-president Kendall Leuven. The club doesn’t get a lot of publicity and they hope that by having more events like this they can grow in numbers and gain traction.
The FMS has a small but very engaged group of members. They have around 100 members though not all are active, according to Leuven. They hope that by hosting events like this that allow TMD students to showcase their pieces they can generate more interest in their organization.
The FMS Showcase primarily helped TMD students who haven’t yet taken the upper-level classes that allow them to participate in the Spring Splash, a fashion show hosted by URI for TMD students to showcase their creations.
“People being fulfilled by showing their own designs, that’s all I could really ask for,” Leuven said.
About 60 people visited the event, many of which were URI staff members. The students who showcased their designs felt that the event gave them good exposure and they enjoyed being able to share their skills with the URI community, according to Aymie and Leuven.
“For me, the main part of this is being in the position to run the event and getting people to actually come to the event,” Leuven said. “I think that’s the bigger part for me rather than showcasing my design. So that’s something that I’m proud of.”
Following the event, both Aymie and Leuven believe that they have met their goal of allowing TMD students to showcase their craft in a new way and plan to make this showcase an annual tradition for the FMS.
As part of the event, Aymie showcased two designs that she made and had a poster of some of her other designs. Her pieces were made using recycled materials that she thrifts, according to Aymie. At the event, Aymie showcased a jacket made from a shower curtain and a blanket made from a tapestry.
For her piece, Leuven presented a dress she made two summers ago. It was the first time she worked with stretch fabric, a particularly difficult material to work with according to her, and she was proud of how it came out.
Throughout the semester the FMS hosts other small events such as collage-making, sewing and other activities centered around fashion, according to Aymie.