Under the clamoring lights and the narrow doorway of Club 51, over 150 attendees in silver chains, microbangs and leather boots crowded the sidewalk as they waited to enter Independent by Design last Thursday.
The fashion show, featuring five emerging designers, was co-directed by Tisch and Stern sophomore Josh McFadden and Stern ‘24 alum Michael Villota. While the show was originally set to run the week before, last-minute venue and management issues forced them to find another space with a few days’ notice.
With the sudden reschedule came a new wave of challenges in casting, promoting and cancelling designers. In the end, five designers showed — half of the original ten — sourced through a mix of spamming Instagram messages and mutual friends.
The cast came together in a similar way.
“We were still casting models up until the week of the show — Monday, Tuesday, even Wednesday,” McFadden said. “That was the scariest part, because if we didn’t have models, two of the designers wouldn’t have been able to show.”
Three days before the show, McFadden stood outside the Kimmel Center for University Life, handing out hundreds of flyers to students to promote the event.
“If you told me a year ago that I’d be doing that, I would’ve laughed,” McFadden said. “But when you’re given an opportunity like this, you just have to push yourself to make it happen.”
(Alex Amaral for WSN)The first collection that was presented was Cabeza by Ben Parker, a 20-year-old studying integrated design and media at the Tandon School of Engineering. Parker’s designs aim to be “anti-fashion” and ironically challenge the seriousness and rigidity of high-fashion runways.
To contrast unsustainable practices in the fashion industry, Parker worked with old fabrics — such as those sourced from construction companies.
“They usually will have a bunch of stains and old patches on them,” Parker said. “But I re-sewed them so that they would be tailored.”
When asked about a model vaping on the runway, Parker said he let his models have creative freedom by asking them to “not try to model,” further mocking the traditions of the high fashion industry.
The next featured collection was from Palestinian designer Adan Abbas, who mixed politics, heritage and fashion in her pieces. Abbas’ looks featured bright red and white face paint, bold colors and structured silhouettes. A standout look had a model strutting in an oversized orange jumpsuit and a large red chain dangling over her.
Isabella Rose Tabone, a 21-year-old fashion design student at Kingsborough Community College and founder of Made in Tears, then showcased a twee-themed collection, incorporating playful patterns and shades of brown and pink. Drawing inspiration from fashion designers Anna Sui and Vivienne Westwood, Tabone included vintage objects, a mix of quilt-patterned fabrics sewn together and whimsical pearl details.
In contrast, GSAS alum Majdou Lavoie’s collection from her label, Maison Majdou, featured deconstructed businesswear through button-up shirts and ties, reassembling them into new silhouettes. One look featured a cropped white button-up shirt and business ties dangling from a belt, acting as a skirt.
LS sophomore Ella Kwon’s show, the final one of the night, was inspired by French film Peau d’Âne, a twisted fairytale about a princess who dresses herself in donkey skin to avoid an incestuous marriage. Featuring pastels and florals, as well as beaded jewelry reminiscent of a 1920s cabaret, the show constructed an ethereal world reminiscent of fairytale fantasies.
“Growing up, my favorite part of any princess movie was always that one moment when the girl was at the top of a set of steps, and would descend as everyone at the bottom would just be gaping in awe,” Kwon said. “That moment always gave me goosebumps and I wanted the audience to have that same enchanted feeling I’d always have.”
A standout look featured a strapless sage green velvet top decorated with dangling pearls and a flowy white maxi skirt. When the model turned, a large bow was revealed in the back, draping down past the waistline of the skirt.
Reflecting on the last-minute changes that almost derailed the show, McFadden felt both pride and relief that all the pieces were able to fall into place. The chaos of the show far from discouraged McFadden from the fashion industry, however, as he’s planning on something “even bigger” for New York Fashion Week in February.
“I wouldn’t want to do it again under the same circumstances,” McFadden said. “But I’m so glad I did it. This is something I’ve wanted to do forever, even if I didn’t realize it until now.”
Contact Daphne Zhu and Jennifer Jesus at [email protected]
