St. Kate’s Fashion Goes Celestial: 2023 Katwalk

By Mia Timlin

The St. Catherine University Fashion Association (SCUFA) is hosting its annual Katwalk fashion show on Sunday, May 7 at 7 p.m. The event will be held in the CdC Ballroom and is open to everyone with the purchase of a ticket ($10 for students, $20 for general admission, $25 for VIP) which you can buy online.

Katwalk is a staple event for St. Kate’s and the culmination of the year for fashion students on campus who get to put forward their work and artistry as well as present merchandising projects. Beyond that, Katwalk serves as a positive representation of what St. Kate’s has to offer students, being a part of the fashion program that is noticed and attended by individuals currently working in the industry. For many students, Katwalk is a deeply important part of St. Kate’s campus experience, image and reputation.

*First look at upperclassman designer Veronica Wakefield*

“It’s a huge networking opportunity for all our fashion students,” says Kiara Gomes ‘25 (Fashion Design and International Studies, Sustainability minor), pointing out that the connections to potential future employers can be a huge draw to what St. Kate’s has to offer for its students wanting to go into the fashion industry.

“As a fashion student, hearing about Katwalk was a big thing,” says Maimuna Kolley ‘25 (Fashion Design and Merchandising). “It’s a big show. We have a lot of people coming — a lot of people from Fashion Week Minnesota. It’s a big thing. Katwalk is known by a lot of people.”

Planning this night falls entirely into the hands of SCUFA members. The responsibility is huge and one that took newer members by surprise. The entire experience is a sort of baptism by fire of event planning, as well as an opportunity to delve more into what types of careers the fashion industry has to offer.

“It’s made me more aware that it’s not just about clothes,” Kolley says. “It’s giving me a different side to fashion. It’s not just about making clothes — which also is a lot of work — but everything that it takes to put on a show.”

Kolley isn’t the only one who is feeling the immensity of SCUFA’s job and the responsibilities the organization has to juggle.

“Making a show has a lot of aspects to it,” says Mikayla Roper ‘25 (Fashion Merchandising). “There’s little stuff to forget about like catering. You need photographers, you need videographers, you need to figure out everything for staging. I realized there was going to be a lot of preparation and that the little things matter. There’s so much you have to do and a lot to think about that I wasn’t expecting going in.”

A major decision to be made is the theme of the show each year. This year’s celestial theme is a big source of excitement for the students running the show, and one they rose to meet by marrying it with one of their core foundations: sustainability. It is a growing side of the industry that the St. Kate’s fashion department prides itself on integrating into its curriculum.

“We decided for decor — like centerpieces — to go out and thrift items that look like celestial pieces, which kinda go with our more eccentric vibe as not everything is super matching,” Gomes says. “We went with a lot of golds, teals, blues.”

Although the night may have an overall theme, the pieces worn on the runway won’t. Designers are free to put whatever they want to make on their models, which allows for students to get more personal with their work.

“I drew inspiration from mermaids,” Gomes says. “[It] came from my comfort show being ‘H20’ [Just Add Water] while I was here. If I was having a rough time I would put on ‘H20,’ and I just love the show so I was thinking I could use a kind of a mermaid inspiration for my line.”

Roper is one of Gomes’s models for the line, and she’s excited about a specific inspiration for the mermaid look she’ll be wearing.

“It reminds me of the new Ariel with Halle Bailey,” she says. “She has locks in her hair, so me and Kiara went out shopping to get some nice long locks to do the whole thing. She’s thinking about putting seashells in my hair — really giving Ariel and beach — and it’s all pearls and so cute. I’m so excited.”

For the students who poured a great deal of their time, effort and emotions into this night, Katwalk is a very big deal. It’s their chance to put everything out there for friends, family and fellow Katies to see, and a night to celebrate what they’ve accomplished.

“We have a lot of talented designers,” Roper says. “We appreciate anyone who comes, because a lot of work and preparation has led to doing all of this. And it’s a fashion show! Who doesn’t like a fashion show?”