Mount Mary University’s signature CREO student designer fashion show will be held virtually this spring.
The annual student-run event showcases the work of School of Arts & Design students in the areas of fashion, studio art, graphic design, interior design and art therapy.
The decision to hold CREO as a virtual event this year follows a trend of major design schools around the country that are doing the same, said fashion department chair Ashley Brooks. The university had to cancel last year’s event – which would have been its 52nd annual – due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The virtual premiere will be held Friday, May 14.
“The Student Designer Fashion Show will be reimagined for 2021,” Brooks said. “Merchandise management students will capture fashion collections through a video featuring designs by both 2020 and 2021 fashion design major majors.”
The new format will allow students to showcase their garments in a variety of settings, with students filming segments at locations around Milwaukee that complement their designs.
“This format actually gives this class much greater creative freedom to experiment with storytelling and the look and feel of the show than the runway production does,” Brooks said. “The video format will also make our show more accessible; we can share our students’ creations with a broader audience that isn’t tied to geography or a limited number of available seats. We want this production to go viral and make it around the globe.”
Mount Mary fashion executive fellow Donna Ricco noted that the event also follows trends in the industry.
“The fashion industry began showing new collections virtually last summer, and now fashion schools around the world are featuring students’ creativity through some amazing virtual presentations,” Ricco said. “This video production is an exciting opportunity for Mount Mary fashion students to broaden their experience by conceptualizing the runway presentation in a whole new way.”
Mount Mary’s Arts and Design Senior Exhibitions, which features the work of students in studio arts, interior architecture and design, and graphic design will also be presented in an online format this year, the university said.
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