CCAD Fashion Design students are inspired by unconventional assignment

Ahead of the 2019 CCAD Fashion Show on Friday, May 10, first- and second-year Fashion Design students in Intro to Fashion Design II were tasked with creating showstopping, runway-ready outfits using unconventional materials supplied by some of the sponsors of the CCAD Fashion Show. The looks they created used materials ranging from mousepads to plastic bags and will go on the runway—and on real, live models—shortly before the official Fashion Show program begins.

Students, working in groups, created drawings, flatlays, sponsor profiles, and mood boards before creating their designs. Their instructors, Adjunct Instructors Sara Renner (Fashion Design, 2008), Celeste Malvar-Stewart, and Marlise Schoeny, encouraged the students to go big—and then bigger still—to ensure that the pieces would make a major impact on the runway.

“We want to make sure these pieces scream the sponsors’ brands,” Renner said.

“I thought this would be a fun project to show the sponsors we are thankful for their support,” said Fashion Design Associate Professor and Chair Suzanne Cotton. “It’s been exciting to see the students’ work on the project, and I’m looking forward to seeing the results.”

So just what did they make out of such materials as folders, oversized posters, ribbons, and other branded supplies? And what did these up-and-coming designers think of the assignment? We recently visited them to find out.

Sponsor: OhioHealth

The design: A figure-flattering wrap dress made from a patchwork of T-shirts.

“We had to make a pattern and adjust it 1,000 times. There was a lot of work getting the draping just right,” said Dom Susi (Fashion Design, 2021).

Sponsor: Diamond Cellar

The design: A dress with a slim, Art Deco-influenced silhouette featuring deconstructed ribbons that add extra movement.

“We’ve struggled because we wanted to make something that’s wearable, but we needed to figure out how we could make it a little flashier,” said Sara Schubargo (Continuing Education).

Sponsor: DSW

The design: A cape made for a king, made of black and white patterned throw blankets.

“At DSW, all of the brands come together in one place, and it all fits. … With this design, we’re trying to design it so everything looks like one piece and it creates the same feeling,” said Omar Carrera (Fashion Design, 2022).

Sponsor: Easton

The design: A dress made of neoprene from deconstructed mousepads and a corset made of folded paper maps.

“We’re trying to make a bodice and skirt, inspired by Easton’s architecture,” said Grace Warren (Fashion Design, 2021).

Sponsor: Huntington Bank

The design: A hexagonal-shaped hoop skirt, supported by a chicken wire frame, is the underpinning for a dress covered in paper folders that mimic the bank’s hexagonal logo.

“I’m a Fashion Design major, but I also love Industrial Design. Combining this (the metal-wire structure) with fabric was absolutely perfect,” said Calix Franklin (Fashion Design, 2022).

Sponsor: Justice

The design: A poof-sleeved dress made from paper, including large posters from Justice’s stores, featuring a delicate lace trim created by a paper hole-puncher.

“It’s a royal look. A little bit princess, strong, but girly,” said Skylar Rice (Fashion Design, 2022).

Sponsor: Macy’s

The design: A two-piece top and skirt that together appear to be one-piece ruffled dress, made from plastic bags and gift cards.

“The biggest thing was the comfort of our model,” said Roberto Cardona Mendez (Fashion Design, 2022).

Sponsor: White Castle

The design: Slider boxes, T-shirts, and ornaments form armor for a modern-day knight.

“White Castle needs a mascot, am I right? … I was really happy to get this assignment. They recently started carrying an Impossible Burger, and as a vegetarian, I appreciate it,” said Jesamie Houghtby (Fashion Design, 2021)

Students in the Intro to Fashion Design II class included: Ridhima Batra, Marilyn Brown, Megan Brumbaugh, Roberto Cardona Mendez, Adder Chenxu, Susi Grace Combes, Liu Dom, Calix Franklin, Sankofa Guy, Jesamie Houghtby, Junea Howard, Nicole Klein, Stephanie Li, Maria Mendoza, Willow Nguyen, Omar Carrera, Skylar Rice, Sara Schubargo, Domonic Susi, Manjun Tan, Grace Warren, Jaiqi Yu, Bethany Zepp, and Vivi Zhou.

Proceeds from the 2019 CCAD Fashion Show on Friday, May 10, support CCAD’s General Scholarship Fund. There’s still time for you to attend! Purchase VIP or General Admission tickets here. (You can also watch a livestream of the Fashion Show starting at 8:30 p.m.)     

Learn more about the Fashion Design program at CCAD or apply here.