Every year, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design (RMCAD) host a fashion show where juniors and seniors present their fashion designs to the public. This year, I was invited to attend the show and experience the unique and original designs, of which these students worked so hard to achieve.
RMCAD’s presentation was a two-hour long exhibition with themes of identity for the first half, where junior students showcased their work on the runway. Of those who presented their work, four stood out among the rest. Bella Radloff and her utilization of recyclable materials; Dasha Chavez, who connected her Mexican cultural roots to her fashion; and Tanya Carli, who uses her styles to embrace confidence through femininity.
Award recipient for Best Workmanship, Tanya Carli’s designs were influenced by her experiences as an Italian woman and by her exposure to different cultures, which have influenced her styles. Her project’s themes in feminism express her frustration with the way society dictates how women should dress which Carli argues is shaped by different cultural factors. She looks to push boundaries with her styles. Through her designs, she seeks to empower women and make them feel sexy. Her style was erotic, sexy and edgy, with her Italian culture influencing her designs, which are also elegant and formal.
One of Carli’s designs was a cocktail dress very edgy, elegant, shiny, and, as Carli stated, a sign of empowerment for her. Structurally, the top featured a bold keyhole cutout in the front, with two additional keyholes on each side. The skirt was a mini, attached to the top by three delicate chains which sat at the hips, leaving a sliver of skin visible on each side. On the left side of the skirt, there were two soft cowls that added dimension and movement. Carli said that, for her, that dress was the cherry on top of the collection.
While I appreciate Carli’s fashion designs and her statement as a fashion designer in wanting to empower women, there are some nuances to this position, especially regarding the design she claims as the “cherry on top” of her collection which should be explored further. This specific design, within the heteronormative society we live in, appeals to the male gaze because of how it is constructed. While I think it is very sexy, I question whether it truly empowers all women. It reinforces a narrow ideal of beauty as skinny yet curvy that excludes many body types, perpetuating the same standards it claims to challenge.
Besides the exclusivity of who can wear these designs, there is also the reality of safety and comfort. In a society where women still face constant harassment and where men often fail to respect women regardless of what they wear, not all women would feel empowered. For many, it could instead create feelings of vulnerability and fear, even if the intention behind wearing it is to embrace personal freedom.
I agree with Carli’s statement that we should dress however we please, but we cannot ignore the social and cultural realities that complicate this ideal. It is important to question the patriarchal ideologies that shape our ideas of beauty, sexuality, and empowerment, and to recognize the areas that may also reinforce the systems we aim to dismantle.
Bella Radloff, whose work earned her the award for most creative design, was a highlight of the show. Radloff’s approach was more conceptual. Of her designs, one featured a skirt constructed from Coca-Cola cans, contrasted by a gentle white tank top of softer fabric, accessorized with a purse constructed from more Coca-Cola cans. What caught my attention in this specific design was the use of recycled materials and the implicit message behind it. This choice not only reflects environmental awareness but also invites reflection on issues like fast fashion and consumerism. The fashion industry produces massive amounts of clothing each year, making it one of the largest consumers of water in the world. These companies operate in direct response to our demand for constant consumption, perpetuating a cycle with severe environmental consequences.
Living under a capitalistic structure makes it challenging to confront the damage our consumption causes to the Earth. I find it difficult to accept my role in this issue, and frustrating to realize that even when I try to be environmentally conscious, my individual actions feel small compared to the scale of the problem. Radloff’s work gives perspective of what fashion could possibly become, where it is possible to fabricate meaningful designs while also considering their environmental impact by using recycled materials.
Dasha Chavez, a senior who won the award for Best Concept, spoke with me on her designs which closed the show. Her concept integrated, most notably, El Día de los Muertos and other significant Mexican cultures. For Chavez, it was an honor to represent her Mexican culture through her design, and how it connects to her identity. One of her designs was a beautiful yellow dress inspired by a combination of different aspects of Mexican culture. These elements she layers in the dress resemble a quinceañera’s gown, a white tie that echoes traditional mariachi clothing, and the color yellow representative of the cempasúchil (marigold), which is used for the Day of the Dead.
The Day of the Dead is a significant celebration for Mexican people and as someone who grew up in Mexico, I felt very connected to these designs. Specifically, because they represented this Mexican tradition in a very original and meaningful way. Through her designs, Chavez showed the audience a part of her identity through her Mexican culture and how she connected it to her designs. By using this traditional Mexican clothing style, mixing it, and creating her own in a way that felt very significant and respectful to her roots. The designer offered a very vulnerable and raw part of who she is as an artist and individual.
Chavez’s theme invites a dialogue about our own identity. It is a call to action not only for the audience but also for generations of Mexican immigrants living in the U.S. In a time where anti-immigrant policies further push people into marginalization and are often pressured to hide their backgrounds, Chavez’s theme reminds us how empowering it is to embrace our cultural roots that encourage pride, unity and resilience. Demonstrating your work to the public is not easy for anyone. It takes precious time and resources, especially as a designer where every detail counts. The students showed their vulnerability and dedication with great talent through their work, each with their own message to convey. There exists a piece of themselves in their work. The RMCAD fashion show is a demonstration of how we can appreciate art in a different form, and at the same time, it is a medium to support students and new designers.
Every year, RMCAD hosts a student fashion show. Next year’s event will take place, May 2nd, 2026. Tickets go on sale a month prior to the event. For students, tickets are available at a reduced rate. Whether you love fashion, enjoy art, or are curious to see what the next generation of designers has to offer, this is an event you won’t want to miss.
This year’s showcase was recorded, which can be viewed here.
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