The 10th annual USC Fashion Week continued with a Student Designer Showcase on Wednesday evening. The venue at 701 Whaley Street was decorated with string lights, a photo opt background and included many tables that displayed handmade products made by students.
The first hour of the event allowed guests to shop around at different tables of student vendors. Their products ranged from statement jewelry pieces to homemade room decor.
Made With Hope, created by third-year exercise science student Hope Hartley, began one night when Hartley and her roommate decided to make a choker necklace. Hartley’s piece turned out looking stylish and her roommate even offered to pay her for the necklace. Since then, she realized she could make money by selling her products. After gaining trendy jewelry-seeking followers on Instagram, Made With Hope took off. Hartley describes jewelry as natural and indie; her products attract a combination of many styles.
“The first word that comes is free, like boho a little bit, but then there’s like a grunge side to a lot of the black leather,” Hartley said.
Second-year psychology student Grace Whitbeck began designing jewelry a year ago to fund a mission trip. She realized jewelry making could benefit others, so now some of her proceeds go towards other mission trips. Also, some proceeds from the pieces in her Karis Collection go towards a human trafficking shelter here in Columbia, Lighthouse for Life. She named her jewelry line Alabaster after a Biblical story in Luke and her admiration of alabaster stones.
“I used that because I like the story and it reminds me of my heart for human trafficking victims, and it’s a stone too so it works with jewelry,” Whitbeck said.
The other tables of student vendors included jewelry pieces from All You Need is Beads and Ragen Blaire Jewelry Designs, Sew College’s vintage lace up tees, and made to order decals and canvases from Crafts by Sharon Maguire. Clothed in Hope and Express were also selling products and giving away freebies.
The main event of the evening included a runway show displaying work from three student designers. The designers were encouraged to incorporate the theme of nature into their collections and each of them interpreted a different aspect of the theme.
Anne Coleman used recycled materials to evoke the theme of nature. All of her garments were created from reused T-shirts. She wanted to combine a vibrant tropical vibe with a free-spirit Bohemian style. Alexa Abercrombie’s work was inspired by Alexander McQueen and the garments reflected death and romance. Her clothes were hand created with the use of industrial sowing machine and other equipment. Maddy Pease created outfits to reflect her newfound sense of freedom as it relates to nature. Her use of green and earthy tones created a peaceful appearance. Models showcased each of the designer’s work and photographers had the opportunity to get shots of the final product.
USC Fashion Week is not over yet. The finale event begins at 6 on Thursday, March 23 at 701 Whaley Street. Boutiques from Five Points will be featured along with refreshments and a silent auction.