Black, silver and deep purple colors decorated the venue of the Price Center and Garden. Models dressed in sparkles, mesh and metallic elements displayed the creations of Texas State student stylists and designers.
Texas State’s Fashion Merchandising Association (FMA) held its biannual fashion show on Nov. 16. The show’s theme was “Midnight Core,” a combination of glamorous and urban styles.
Jalissa Urbina, fashion merchandising junior and FMA fashion show coordinator, chose the theme. She said it was a toned-down microtrend resulting from the previous season’s neon lime green and grungy brat summer.
“As much as [Midnight Core] is glamorized, it is also urban, and it’s very streetwear appropriate, just because we focus on sustainability for our club and also just our designers,” Urbina said. “A lot of them are secondhand thrifters, or they create stuff from scratch.”
The fashion’s show main goals are to showcase student designers’ creativity and display sustainability in the fashion industry. Local retailers also showcased their businesses and collaborated with the designers.
“We can show that you guys can create stuff, either from your own closet or you can refer to something and give it a second life,” Urbina said. “Our biggest image is focusing on being able to showcase our Texas State students and even the local retailers there are secondhand stores.”
Jae Franklin, fashion merchandising sophomore and FMA events coordinator, said FMA has fashion shows for students to have an outlet to express themselves creatively and showcase their passions. Having the shows also helps them know what to do when they leave Texas State.
“[Students] already can say, ‘I’ve had this experience. I know how to operate within my role at a fashion show, whether it’s being a model or a stylist, a coordinator or even a designer,'” Franklin said.
This year, FMA changed its meetings around from more creative-based to stimulating-based to include speakers and pop culture discussions.
Franklin felt the board operated as a unit and grew through planning the fashion show and communication. She said with FMA’s new leadership, there is a different perspective on today’s fashion and how to approach and see it.
“I feel like now [FMA]’s more inclusive and it’s more welcoming to students of all cultures,” Franklin said. “I feel like FMA now is more instrumental than what it was before, grounding students to want to showcase their creativity and what they have to offer towards the fashion industry in the future.”
Leanna Washington, fashion merchandising junior and FMA fashion show assistant, said the FMA board agreed fashion is more about engaging with people, creating connections and having fun. She wanted to incorporate that idea into the fall fashion show by not putting the stylists and designers in a box.
“When it comes to their creativity, we’re not asking them to follow a specific theme or anything,” Washington said. “We’re just letting them bring what they have to the table and allowing them to have control, creative freedom.”
Valentina Gonzalez Hinojosa, psychology sophomore and an FMA fashion show designer, incorporated streetwear and gothic themes into her designs but did not base them on the show’s theme.
“The reason why I did this was because I had a friend and he passed away,” Hinojosa said. “He spoke fashion, so I based my designs and everything on stuff that he used to like, and that’s what kind of inspired me on making what I made.”
For more information on FMA and its events, visit its Instagram at @fmatxst.
