St. Kate’s Fashion Department Hosts Its Third Annual Virtual Fashion Competition

By Mia Timlin

On Nov. 18, the St. Kate’s Fashion Department revealed the winners of their annual virtual fashion competition, a design challenge open to all high school students. Students had the opportunity to submit their designs within the two categories of Sustainability and Social Justice, and the result was a stunning display of artistry, a thrilling look at innovation and a deep dive into the important role fashion plays in our world.

The competition began three years ago during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic as a way to reach out to young artists.

“A lot of high school students are interested in fashion, they love fashion—like a terminology ‘passion for fashion,’” said Assistant Professor Jacqueline Parr, director of the competition. “But they don’t really understand that they can have careers in fashion and that that can be a potential major for them post-graduation. We wanted to have more reach and engage more high school students and understand what they’re passionate about and what they’ve experimented with in terms of design.”

This type of outreach can be crucial when it comes to areas of study that relate to the arts, as many young people can be subjected to the view that careers in these fields are not realistic or achievable.

“Young voices are important to find because they are the future,” said Dr. Anupama Pasricha, department chair of fashion design and merchandising. “Bringing that young voice, bringing their new experiences is really important. They are the ones that want to shape everything for the future.”

In an industry that’s always changing, Pasricha says that this competition, as well as the St. Kate’s fashion program as a whole, aims to mentor while at the same time allowing new perspectives and styles to grow. This philosophy shown through as she discussed an entry celebrating queer identity. The piece itself featured the ribbons of progress pride flag, but it was the intentionality behind the design that caught Pasricha’s eye. The artist statement explained that the ribbons point forward, “towards a better future.”

“I wouldn’t have thought of that. If I had designed that I maybe would have just put the colors,” Pasricha said. “It has to be a lived experience to have that kind of connection.”

The categories for the competition set the perfect stage for these kinds of messages to be shared, while at the same time being a direct reflection of the foundation that the fashion program is built on.

“I have worked at four universities, and this is the first one that has ever incorporated sustainability into all of their courses,” Parr said. “I do think we’re a trendsetter in the sense that many corporations now are wanting their employees to be versed in sustainability and to be knowledgeable in manufacturing and designing in sustainable ways. I think it’s setting our students apart upon graduation that they have this foundational knowledge.”

This desire to move fashion to a place of sustainability and environmentalism is communicated beautifully through Maria Lemmon’s entry—an intricate dress made out of trash bags, which claimed victory in the Sustainability category.

“Many people dismiss the importance of reusing, reducing, and recycling in our materialistic society,” Maria’s artist statement said. “Hopefully this design broadens their horizons on materials that can be used to create apparel. Ultimately, the dress as an artform is meant to convey that it is crucial to think about the materials and processes used in fashion and whether they are sustainable and just.”

The competition yielded five winners: an overall first, second and third place, and then a winner for each category of Sustainability and Social Justice.

The bodice of Catrielle Wynn Barnett’s “Fire Starter” dress

Catrielle Wynn Barnett, the overall first place winner, took the competition by storm with a hand-made dress that the designer burnt lace patterns into with matches and lighters, then hand-stitched over 600 burnt matches to.

“I want to honor those who help our society by sacrificing their time and resources,” the artist statement for the design said. “The Fire Starter (match dress) was inspired by people who blazed trails in history, resulting in change. Matches gathered on the dress bodice were used to symbolize that collective action brings change.”

Another stand-out is the winner of the Social Justice category. The designer upcycled an old wedding dress to bring a visual representation to the trans experience.

“This piece is about being transgender when I would describe someone I would say who they are [lies] in their heart,” designer Maeken Ploof’s statement said. “Not everyone agrees with who that is when it comes to being trans. The heart with incision scars represents the core of who you are. Yet if you [were] to pull one string it comes off. Under that heart is the restrictions (the corset) of the social standards or beliefs whether in fear to be themselves or so they do not get killed.”

According to Parr and Pasricha, fashion has immense power when it comes to issues of social justice and sustainability.

“Everybody every day gets dressed,” Parr said. “No matter where you’re going or how little you think about it, fashion is an integral part of our daily life. Many people express themselves through the clothing they’re wearing as well as through the consumer choices they’re making. … Fashion is kind of your unspoken voice.”