FABO showcases bold and bright fashion

Make your statement.

This was the embodied theme of the 11th annual FABO Fashion Show. With a focus on trends such as color blocking and neon, the fashion show in the Memorial Union’s Great Plain Ballroom brought a large crowd Tuesday.

“This theme is all about being yourself … and making your statement in life,” Shelby Heimbuch, one of the three coordinators for the show, said.

Students in the department of apparel, design and hospitality management participated in the event, along with a couple independent study students. Ann Braaten, assistant professor in the department, says her students have shown improvement over the course of the semester.

“It’s interesting with the classes I teach, there are two techniques … they go from, ‘What are you talking about,’ to, ‘Oh, I love doing this.’ It’s fun to see that,” Braaten said.

Additionally, the show acts as a motivation factor for the participants. Braaten said it gives students incentives to finish projects by a certain time and have a forum to show their work.

“It gives people a chance to get feedback and have criticism,” Braaten said. “It gives them a chance to show what they’ve been doing and their creativity.”

The FABO show included a section featuring fashion from 16 retail stores in the area, and a section showcasing students’ original and reconstruct/deconstruct designs.

The reconstruct/deconstruct portion of the event required students to use a piece of secondhand clothing and turn it into a unique garment. One participant transformed a sundress into a retro one-piece bathing suit using the bodice.

Madison Whitley participated as a model and also worked with the retail stores to promote outfits. She says the fashion show benefits students of the ADHM department by serving as a networking tool.

“I think that it gives a good experience, especially by building relationships with those stores,” Whitley said. “You’re also working with people within your major to collaborate and bring together this whole big fashion show. It’s a good thing to put on a resume.”

According to Heimbuch, the FABO Fashion show also helps to promote the department and tartan design.

“It’s good to get the word out … and showcase what we’re doing,” Heimbuch said. “People can see what we do on a daily basis.”

The tartan is the design promoted in the NDSU Bookstore and was chosen through a design contest with over 70 contestants. Chosen last May, the Tartan generates sales benefiting funds for student scholarships and faculty research in the ADHM department and the College of Human Development and Education.

Amelia Asperin, Tartan Project Committee member and assistant professor of hospitality and tourism management says the tartan is a big accomplishment and is exposure for the department.

Items with the official tartan design are available at the NDSU Bookstore, Straus Clothing, EML and collegiatetartan.com.