I've always found myself to be an overambitious person, and my runway show, Fragments of Imagination, is a perfect example of this. I decided to put on a runway for my senior capstone project at the beginning of the school year. For my capstone, I was required to complete a project, but it could have been something as simple as a research project with a little hands-on experience. Instead, I decided to take it WAY over the top.
Due to college applications and other school projects, I didn't have a chance to start working until March. When I realized I would only have two months to complete all the work, I decided to lower my expectations and aim for five to seven looks and make it a small event. I was definitely not expecting to execute a full sixteen-piece show for over 150 people, but here's how it happened.
I went fabric shopping and began designing in March. I slowly created a couple of looks during the month while also focusing on school and the spring musical, in which I had a lead role. As April hit, I realized I needed to pick up my pace, and I began frantically reaching out to my friends and peers, asking them to model. I was overwhelmed and invigorated by the enthusiasm the girls gave me, and I started sewing in every free moment I had, scheduling fittings after school or at lunch every day.
I talked to teachers and staff to coordinate the day I could use my school's auditorium space. Sewing and designing was tricky. I couldn't settle on just one theme or aesthetic. Instead, I found each piece expressing the personality of the model it was intended for, with each design springing from my imagination. At a loss for how to categorize all the looks, I tried to find the one connecting aspect. Eventually, I settled on the title, Fragments of Imagination, because, well, each piece was a piece of my mind and imagination, expressed through one of my models. Now, looking back, I've recognized a whole new theme as well, which seems to be my attraction towards mixing contrasting materials and colors. Not one piece is made from only one material.
During the creating process, a huge struggle I faced was sewing for other bodies. In the past, when making dresses for myself, I could work very fast since I could try things on as I went and pin while on my body. Now I had to schedule fittings and work around people's varying schedules and availability. I also wanted to make each model feel as confident as possible, so I tried to cater each piece to accentuate what made them feel confident and respect their individual insecurities by talking to each girl about what styles she felt most comfortable in.
Of course, not everything went according to plan. There were two pieces that ended up not fitting at all, and at one point, a shirt actually broke while I was trying to get it onto a model. I had to fix it and keep going. Thankfully, I'm somewhat used to high-pressure sewing from making dresses on deadlines for things like prom. However there were still many moments where I wondered if I was actually going to pull this off.
Then I needed to organize and coordinate the event itself. I had a vision for a decorated set, lights, music, with food and refreshments afterwards for a little social aspect. At this point I was only about two weeks out from the event. Overambitious, see? But I was determined and so I began my outreach to friends and people I knew.
I got a few people to do advertisements and put up flyers as well as posted on my socials. I put together a team for food and refreshments, a team for decoration, and a team for hair and makeup. I also called in some favors and got help with lighting, photography and a live DJ! The way my community rose up to support me was amazing and I felt extremely grateful.
Now, one week before the show, I had nine finished pieces! But it wasn't enough for me... and so I pulled a few late nights after school and by the end of the week I had sixteen looks! We had two rehearsals with the models which were not only exciting but also fun to practice strutting around and try on the outfits. It was finally starting to feel like an actual runway show rather than an insane idea I had decided to take on.
On Thursday night, I was still sewing. On Friday morning, the day of the show, I was still sewing. At that point, there wasn't much time left to question whether I could do it, so I just kept going. I got out of class early and began to set up. My decorating team soon arrived, my parents being the most prominent figures in the contingent (thanks, Mom and Dad!) As soon as school was dismissed, the girls came pouring in and the makeup and hair salon was set up in a classroom. It was a hectic space boiling over with anticipation and excitement. As each model got ready, they headed downstairs to do a photoshoot on the runway. Then, two hours later, the girls and I crammed backstage and we opened the doors. We had anticipated seventy to eighty people, but as we watched people file in, my dad made a judgment call and set up more rows of chairs. Even so, the back of the room was filled with people standing!
The show itself was an incredible success and beyond anything I had ever imagined. As I watched each girl walk out the door and onto the runway, I experienced a level of excitement and pride that I had never felt before. Watching each of my friends (and little sister) wear something I had imagined, designed and created for them was incredible.
I started this project thinking I would make five to seven looks and put on a small school event. Somehow, two months later, I was standing backstage watching sixteen girls walk down a runway in clothing that had started as nothing more than ideas in my head. I will forever remember it as one of the most emotionally thrilling moments of my life.
