Review: New Era Cap Student Fashion Show

Last week, a student fashion show called Design-a-thon was held in the Buffalo State University Technology Building, sponsored by New Era Cap. In the middle, I managed to get a lot of information while admiring this creative project and great networking opportunity.

A Design-a-thon was organized for students in the fashion program. They were divided into groups of three, consisting of two designers and a fashion merchandising student, to present their piece. Perhaps a unique event, this is the first year that Buffalo State University and New Era Cap have joined forces to work together to provide students with hands-on experience leading to endless opportunities for their future in the technology industry. fashion.

The challenge of the competition was to create an avant-garde piece over the weekend in 24 hours, from all the sampled New Era Cap garments, to be ready for the fashion show organized on Sunday. This innovative process was to be awarded a cash prize and a paid internship at New Era Cap, a reward that would be given to the group with the most on-brand piece and strategic pitch for their outfit.

Participating students were given instructions to create a work of art rather than an outfit that someone would actually wear, designed to fit perfectly on mannequins provided by New Era Cap. The prestigious fashion show provided charcuterie snacks and drinks, including a coffee bar, to the community attending the show. They also had a DJ to create an inviting ambiance in the tech building lobby.

The event felt extremely well planned and professional. There was also a New Era labeled photoshoot section with a professional photographer. This celebration was a great way to reward students for their hard work and feel appreciated for their dedication to this project, whether they won the competition or not.

Moving on to the pieces themselves, there were six groups of three, apart from one group which only had two people, meaning there were six avant-garde pieces on display, each with its own own atmosphere and its own history.

The team that won had a piece that featured an entire armory suit made from New Era caps. The team explained how the piece captured a female soldier to honor Women's History Month. I thought this specific piece was well planned from a marketing standpoint because it was made entirely of caps, which are the basis of the entire New Era brand. The reference to Women's History Month was also effective in that it was impressive in showcasing the skills students can bring to their award-winning New Era internship.

Another memorable piece was one created by just two designers, who also won a cash prize for their disruptive theme, displayed in their outfit and attitude towards creativity. This piece was also covered in New Era caps but had wire going in and out underneath the piece. The color scheme was black and silver with hints of red. The group decided to paint not only their outfit with silver, but also the mannequin. The spray paint really brought it all together.

Finally, one outfit that caught my eye was a black and orange dress with a huge flower made from New Era caps. My favorite part of the piece was the flower and the short length of the dress, because it actually looked like something to wear on the runway.

This fashion show showed how clothes are a form of artistic creation and are not always treated as objects meant to cover our bodies. It is an expression of our creative identity as human beings. Overall, each participating student achieved something beyond the reward: the experience of absolute creative freedom with clothing and caps of infinite quality.

The piece that I admired the most reminded me of a sailor's outfit. They created a long skirt with structure underneath New Era caps on the model going up to the legs, as well as a brown long-sleeved shirt that had the same structure coming out of the sleeveless side of the caps. This piece was designed with great care and looked like something that would be in a museum. The caps were designed to resemble a wearable sculpture for the model. There were so many little elements to look for on this piece, the carefully placed New Era logos, the little bow on the front in striped canvas. This piece will always be etched in my mind. When your eyes follow the room, it's easy to notice and fall in love with a new detail.

My team came together to create an extremely beautiful piece of art, created from our thoughts and translated into clothing,” said team member Robby Motz. “It was a unique experience that I would happily do a thousand times, provided I had the same team.

Overall, this group had only come together on the day they were assigned as a group and worked together, allowing each other to have an open vision without any judgment on artistic creation. The best part of the event was not only being in a space where fashion is the main subject to admire, but also being in a community where people want to share and support each other's talent journeys . As an external reviewer of the fashion program, it is inspiring to see other students enrolled in creative programs be so willing to help and support their peers.

After the exhibition, I appreciated the modest nature of the event because of the special feeling felt by those who attended and were able to experience the art happening here on this campus. Nonetheless, I would recommend this event and hope to join the fashion program again next year for new participating designers. Fortunately, the students' pieces were to be placed in a display case at New Era Cap, marking the first year of the Design-a-thon indefinitely.