USC Fashion Week: Spring is in the Air
Paris recently wrapped up its latest fashion week. Now, it’s time for USC’s.
Since 2008, the University of South Carolina’s Fashion Board has produced its own version of Fashion Week. This year’s weeklong event, kicking off Monday, March 21, will include a clothing swap, a fashionable talk back, a student-designer showcase and the pièce de résistance – the much-anticipated spring fashion show, which not only closes out the week but also highlights several major local retailers.
“Having it go on this long and be such a huge success on campus has been really great for us,” said Morgan Holton, the Fashion Board’s president. “We get a lot of members but also just students who are interested in fashion. Being in Columbia, you have people from so many places, but Columbia is not a fashion capital. Building the arts in South Carolina is something that is really important to me and the board.”
Below, Holton touches on a few of the week’s highlights:
‘IDENTI-TEE: Beyond the White T-shirt’
“The guest curator is Dr. Sallie Boggs, who’s in the College of HRSM, a previous (Fashion Board) adviser,” said Holton. “She connected us with this opportunity. In addition to viewing the exhibit, there will also be a showing of the documentary ‘Cotton Road’ exclusively for Fashion Board members. It talks about the textile and retail industries and what goes on behind the scenes.
“Then there’s a style swap after the showing. So we’re asking people to bring something you don’t like anymore and swap it with someone else. It’s so much fun.”
7 p.m. Monday, March 21 at McKissick Museum, 816 Bull St.
Symposium
“We’re really excited about this symposium,” said Holton. “We have Mila Grigg out of Nashville, Tennessee, who owns MODA Image & Brand Consulting. She does a lot of seminars about how image, brand and fashion are all vital to your future success, no matter what career path you choose. It’s a really good opportunity regardless if you’re into fashion or some sort of creative business.”
7 p.m. Tuesday, March 22 at Russell House theater, 1400 Greene St. Doors open at 6:45 p.m.
Student-Designer Showcase
“This is one of the two biggest events we have,” said Holton. “This event we’ve revamped, which we’re really excited about. And at the same time that the student-designer showcase is going on, in the lounge area, we’ll have student artwork that we’re promoting. We’ll also have a student jazz pianist playing. So we really wanted to make sure we get student art from all aspects.”
7 p.m. Wednesday, March 23 at 701 Whaley, 701 Whaley St. $5 at the door, free with Carolina card. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Finale Show and Silent Auction
“It’s a finale show and silent auction,” Holton said. “We have donors for the silent auction from Mellow Mushroom and Old Chicago Pizza, to Bohemian and Steel Garden and Pink Sorbet. Spring looks from a variety of Columbia’s local retailers will be shown on the runway. We have nine retailers, and they each show six looks. Our members get to coordinate the models and be at fittings.
We’ve always had a huge attendance, we just want to keep building on that.
Morgan Holton
USC Fashion Board’s president“Our Fashion Week T-shirts says, ‘stressed, blessed and fashion obsessed,’ and that is so incredibly accurate,” Holton said. “Thursday in itself is a celebration. Being able to execute Fashion Week is a celebration. We started planning in July of 2015. That’s a long time to prep. … It’s stressful and chaotic, but watching something so amazing and so student-run come together is a celebration.”
7 p.m. Thursday, March 24 at 701 Whaley, 701 Whaley St. $5 at the door, free with Carolina Card. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Want to know more?
For more information on USC’s Fashion Week: www.facebook.com/fashionboardusc
This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 11:45 AM.