Stone Ridge - Music pulsed through the air as the young models strutted down the lighted stage "runway" to show off over 40 colorful and creative fashions designed and modeled by students in the Fashion Design and Merchandising program during the Ulster BOCES "I Believe…" Fashion Show recently held at SUNY Ulster in Stone Ridge.
The event, a culmination of students’ year-long studies in the Fashion Design and Merchandising program, brought together the skills of several Career & Technical Center programs. The evening kicked off with a film by Ulster BOCES New Visions Communications & Journalism student Elizabeth Garza, a senior at Rondout Valley High School, who filmed and produced a documentary about the process of preparing for and staging a fashion show. Fellow Communications & Journalism student Vinnie Pedi from Wallkill High School provided his disc jockey talents for the evening, alongside Anthony Marinaccio, technology assistant for special events at SUNY Ulster. Backstage, Ulster BOCES Cosmetology students provided hair and make-up for the designers/fashion models during the Fashion Show. Prior to the event, Graphic & Visual Arts students had conceptualized and designed the advertising, while Carpentry/Building Trades students constructed the runway for the models to stroll on.
Jasmine Sylva, a senior at Kingston High School and Ulster BOCES Fashion Design and Merchandising student, enrolled in the program because she wanted a creative vocation. "It is a really good program, and fun. Now, I plan on going to college for business and then opening up my own clothing shop one day." One of Jasmine’s featured designs was a tapered cocktail dress that her sister, Elizabeth, modeled at the show. "This whole experience was really amazing," she notes. "Our instructor is fantastic. She guided us through some great hands-on work. This show was fun to prepare for, and now we have an edge over other students when we enter college."
Amanda Countryman, a senior from Rondout Valley High School, always nurtured the dream of being in the fashion world. "I came into Ulster BOCES already knowing how to sew. It was a skill my grandma taught me. I still found the program to be very challenging. I discovered that time management is a big thing for me!" After she graduates, Amanda plans on attending either Marist College or Parsons School of Fashion for further study. "I really like to write, so I hope to one day be a writer for a fashion magazine. This program definitely helped prepare me for college and the fashion world. We learned so much."
"The Fashion Show was the first thing I have ever done in my life that I have been proud of," states Elizabeth Friedmann, a senior at Saugerties High School. "I didn’t know how to do anything design-related when I first began the Fashion Design & Merchandising program. Now I have three outfits I’ve made from start to finish, from sketching the design and making the pattern to finally sewing my creation."
Erika Vizvary, also from Saugerties High School, plans on attending the fashion program at Marist College after graduation. "I love fashion and I want to design for a living. This has been a wonderful experience for me."
Rondout Valley High School junior Kaytlynn Goodrich sums up the experience by saying, "It was incredible. The crowd was amazing. The evening was magical."
Angela Kunz, Ulster BOCES Fashion and Merchandising instructor, says the event was a celebration of the hard work of her students, many of whom will move on to attend fashion and design colleges in the fall. "I couldn’t be prouder of these girls. These students were so motivated to work, willing to come in after school, and do whatever was necessary to get their garments done. The confidence they received from the whole experience is priceless."
Kunz also credited fellow Ulster BOCES students from the various other programs who lent their time and talents to make the Fashion Show such a success. "Having the support of all the other talented students in the building was incredible. We have so many amazing things going on at the Career & Technical Center."
The Fashion Design and Merchandising program introduces students to the exciting fashion industry and is the perfect training ground for a career in the fashion and merchandising fields. Students work in an authentic fashion design environment at the Career & Technical Center with state-of-the-art equipment. The curriculum covers such topics as the design and construction of apparel, the study of fabric and color, fashion history and illustration, as well as jewelry and accessory design. The program also integrates English language arts and mathematics State Learning Standards into the curriculum. For more information on the program, contact the Career & Technical Center at (845) 331-6680, or visit the website at www.ulsterboces.org.
