It was a night to remember in New York City as the future of the fashion industry came to life with the 黑料网 School of Fashion's second fall fashion runway show.
Five design students showed off their top collections for select New York media, university alumni, fashion faculty, family and friends.
The show was livestreamed on Kent State Today via a feed from the New York Film Academy.
Among those in attendance was Kent State President Todd Diacon, who had also attended last year's runway show.
The Sept. 6 runway spectacular showcased a partnership with IFA Paris, a leading fashion institution, in a collaboration to showcase the collections of both university's top students during New York Fashion Week (NYFW).
The event was provided with the generous support of the Garment District Alliance and New York Film Academy.
From the first model who took to the runway, the audience was captivated by these new designs.
Audience members were treated to the collections of Kent State students Isabella Trevino, Marissa Vasatka, Joseph Miglio, Ester Luo and Farah Shahrour.
Show Behind the Show
Eight hours before showtime, Kent State's fashion students were still at the university's studio classrooms going through their morning routines.
That was until adjunct professor D'angelo Thompson opted to engage the students to literally move the collections from the Kent State offices to the runway show's location, about two blocks away.
The students loaded up about 10 carts of newly designed outfits and rolled them precariously down Eighth Avenue to the runway venue. The trek was filled with large crowds, potholes, a ton of traffic, oh and temperatures that felt like 97 degrees.
The 15-minute jaunt caught quite a few eyes from tourists and New Yorkers alike, but it was all part of the adventure, students said.
Alumna Makes Key Connection
Relationships play a major role in global fashion and that was also true of how IFA Paris and the School of Fashion at Kent State connected for the fashion show.
Jean-Baptiste Andreani, CEO, IFA Paris, gave credit to Janea Green, '13, who saw an opportunity for the two schools to connect.
"Five years ago, she developed a program for IFA Paris and suggested collaborating on a show with her alma mater," Andreani said.
Green and other notable fashion alumni were in attendance in New York watching collections from the university's top fashion talent come to life on the runway.
Baptiste noted that the show takes about five months to plan and then lasts only about 40 minutes.
Visit Kent State's New York City Fashion program site for more information on the program.