Each year, School of Fashion students display years of honed craftsmanship and learned skill during the O’More Student Fashion Show, a highly produced runway event that features six-and-10 piece collections from junior and senior designers.
Tickets for the 16th annual event on Friday, May 9 are now on sale here. Those in attendance will watch 24 pre-juried student collections walk a New York-style runway at Liberty Hall at the Factory at Franklin, with lines ranging from avant-garde couture that features wearable technology to children’s lines, modern career-wear and detailed menswear designs.
“This event is a valuable experience for students because it offers a tangible connection to an industry that each hopes to excel in after graduation,” said Jamie Atlas, O’More School of Fashion chair. “The designers have spent the better half of their year plotting, designing and constructing these collections, and I believe the crowd will be able to see that passion as the pieces are revealed.”
Atlas says the 14 senior students will showcase their thesis projects during the event, and that the crowd will be impressed with the attention to detail and technical aptitude that many of the collections will display.
Some of the featured designers have already won accolades outside of the College. Maarika Mann, a mother of three, was one of 10 selected as a Nashville Fashion Week “Emerging Designer.” Mann first debuted her “Totem” collection during NFW’s Wednesday night show.
Mann says her line is a dramatic one, and draws inspiration from spiritual myths and folklore. Using bleaching techniques on black fabrics, she has created yellow and golden tones that translate into a visually striking collection of niche-oriented garments.
O’More was a sponsor of this year’s Nashville Fashion Week, and three of the College’s alumni were also featured during the Emerging Designer showcase.
“The College places an emphasis on collaboration and partnership with professional designers and other industry leaders. We were thrilled to find a common interest with Nashville Fashion Week, and that O’More had such a strong representation,” said Rebecca Stillwell, O’More president. “We look forward to once again sharing the talent that our College is producing, and how our programs are constantly evolving.”
The O’More sophomore class will also debut its talent during the 2014 event when it showcases a collection of 10 evening gowns, each designed by an individual student enrolled in the School’s draping class.
In the 2013-2014 year, O’More added a Fashion Merchandising degree to its School of Fashion. Atlas says each School of Fashion junior and senior student is able to play a large role in the show.
“For our senior design students, this evening is a platform to showcase their culminating collections and present to the fashion community and industry leaders,” Atlas said. “But our merchandising students play a major role in the event, as well: they are involved in each detail of the production and marketing process, lending hands-on experience behind the curtain.
“What’s exciting is that these students are able to use this event as a portfolio and resume builder, and oftentimes their role in the production accurately reflects what they hope to pursue after graduation.”
The Student Fashion Show is the grand pre-cursor to the College’s graduation, and routinely draws a crowd of 800-plus.
The designers are competing for several prizes, including a cash stipend from the College and a state-of-the-art sewing machine, compliments of Singer. Prior to the show, a panel of industry experts judges the students’ work on each collection’s construction, cohesiveness, creativity and marketability. In addition, the designers will be evaluated on runway presentation. The 2014 fashion critics include Libby Callaway, Jonathan Kayne, David Perry and Amanda Valentine.
The show will be held in Liberty Hall at The Factory in Franklin, Tenn. Prior to the fashion show, O’More’s graphic design, interactive design and interior design senior students will exhibit their capstone projects at the Factory, 5-7 p.m.
“NICHE” will be a collection of individual spaces displayed in the halls of the Factory, leading up to the Liberty Hall wing. The public is invited to view the thought-provoking productions, and to mingle with the departments’ faculty members and students. There is no cost to attend this event.
Seating for the fashion show will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the show will start at 8 p.m. Proceeds from the evening benefit the O’More student scholarship fund. Tickets are $45, and can be purchased online at omorefashion.com or by calling (615) 794-4254, x220.
Sponsors for the event are 12th & Broad, Reflection Agency, Rodney Mitchell Salon, and Singer.
Founded in 1970, O’More College of Design is a four-year, non-profit institution offering bachelor of fine arts degrees in fashion design, fashion merchandising, graphic design, interactive design and interior design. The College is located in the downtown historic district of Franklin, Tenn.
