Student apparel designers will showcase their skills during the Fashion Playbook Spring Fashion Show on April 15 at 5:30 p.m. in the North Zone of Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Nearly fifty designers in the junior and senior classes are creating elevated game day looks for two models each in this unique hands-on learning experience with a twist.
A panel of judges will select up to two winning looks. The student(s) who create the panel’s favorites will get to attend New York Fashion Week in September through the CLC Fashion Week Program, U of NYFW.
The winning student and UA’s Trademark and Licensing Office will work to produce their designs with a local retailer. Additionally, looks from other student designers may be selected for production.
Student Designers Prep for Fashion Playbook Spring Show
Students participating in the fashion challenge are working within thoughtful, specific guidelines.
“Trademark and licensing approached us with this idea and we thought it was a great way to showcase our students,” said Brian Taylor, interim chair for the department of clothing, textiles and interior design. “The students were given the guidelines on fabrics, colors and patterns they could use. Of course, these are all in UA’s colors.”
“They were also asked to think about what is a fashionable game day look and how are vintage looks being used,” Taylor added.
From Comfort Zone to End Zone
Student designers are hard at work creating looks that might be far from their usual aesthetic. However, they are relishing the opportunity to push themselves.
“I have grown up going to many Alabama games since I could utter the words ‘Roll Tide’ and have witnessed years of the iconic Alabama game day fashion. I wanted to draw inspiration from both my sister and father who also attended UA in the past,” said Kennedy Hall, a sophomore apparel design major. “While game day wear isn’t my personal design aesthetic, I was determined to showcase looks that captured my family’s experience with game day apparel as students from different time periods.”
Isabella Berry is a sophomore majoring in apparel and textile with an apparel design concentration. She said the challenge has been fun.
“I don’t typically lean towards sporty or casual looks with my design style, so it’s been a cool challenge to try to combine my personal design style with the inspiration for the show,” she said. “It’s also been a new challenge finding the balance between what is ‘fashion’ and what consumers will actually buy for game day.”
From the Sketchbook to the Runway
Juniors Hidy Kirkpatrick and Etta McDaniel are creating looks they hope bring their inspirations to life — and to buyers.
“The show’s concept encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone and consider game day fashion from a completely new perspective. I approached each look with the mindset of making bold, sculptural and eye-catching clothing that doesn’t just complement the excitement of the game but becomes part of the spectacle itself,” said Kirkpatrick. “This is an exciting challenge because while game day fashion is a huge part of Southern culture, I wanted to push it beyond its traditional SEC roots and create something striking, sculptural and unexpected.”
McDaniel is working to create a balance between what she normally designs and the challenge guidelines.
“I drew inspiration from an array of sources, including more classic game day ideals such as the referee, football players, game day shakers and just the game day experience. My original thinking was more curious. I drew from New Orleans and Mardi Gras time, the Opera Duomo in Siena, Italy, the 1920s and the use of stripes in interiors,” she said.
“This process has been a struggle of aesthetic for me because I have always been very confident in my very feminine, flouncy and delicate design style. But for Fashion Playbook, I decided I wanted to take risks and explore other avenues,” she added.
About the Show
The show is a partnership between The University of Alabama Athletics Department’s Trademark and Licensing Office and the College of Human Environmental Sciences. It will be in the North Zone of Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium at 5:30 p.m. on April 15. Tickets are $10 and available on the event ticketing site.
