Fashion Design All School Show

In May of 2023, MassArt held their All School Show, an institution wide gallery, displayed all over campus, showcasing work from all majors at MassArt. The fashion department was paired up with the painting department to display their works in a gallery alongside one another on the 11th floor of Tower. The fashion portion of the gallery was curated by rising seniors in the fashion program Ethan Donaldson, Alexandra Arruda, and Lucas Pedrelli. The three teamed up in January 2023 to spearhead the project and create a structured timeline to ensure the flow of the project, holding weekly meetings to stay on top of deadlines. This was the first time all three students had curated a show. The fashion curriculum is quite heavy, so taking on extra projects outside of class is a sign of leadership and initiative. While the students were working on their assignments in the studio, curating the show was a thrilling and enjoyable learning experience. It also provided a chance to discover what other students were creating on campus. The All School show gives students the opportunity to submit work they are most proud of and share them with the community. It opens the doors for collaboration and gives students an inside scoop on what the other majors are doing. 

Alexandra Arruda shared with me her experience with putting on the fashion All School Show. “A lot of people don't really know what we do as fashion majors because we are cooped up in our sewing studios. The All School Show was a great way to show the peers in our community what we do and create, and hopefully this opens the doors to further collaborations. The fashion department has a lot to offer other majors, in terms of collaboration, that's why having shows like these are important to connect and network within the community.” 

One of the most impactful pieces in the Fashion All School Show was a non-textile garment made by sophomore Ross Higgins. Ross constructed his dynamic ensemble out of caution tape, creating a long evening gown silhouette with grandiose angel wings hanging in the back, paired with long earrings and an intricate floral crown. Ross started by working directly on the dress form, draping and vacuum forming down to the shape of the form. He made the garment with an adjustable back, using two pieces of velcro to provide two different fits. The skirt is made of multiple panels that were taped out on Ross’s dorm room floor, applying layers and layers of caution tape with double sided tape in between the layers. When the wings are not displayed hanging in the air, they lay along the back of the dress changing the shape of the train and adding another layer of drape to the skirt, giving it more poof on the outside and enhancing the layers on the skirt. The accessories and the earrings were made for fun. Long strips of caution tape dangle from the head, blending in with the rest of the ensemble. With everything made of caution tape, it becomes less of a print more of a retexturizing of the tape. The headpiece features hundreds of florals shaped with wire, covered in caution tape, and trimmed around the edge to create the shape of a leaf. Ross’s daring and profound design took over 70 hours to make, a true labor of love and creativity.

Angel Guo is another sophomore here at MassArt who had her collection of illustrations displayed at the show. She was inspired by the Chinese designer, Guo Pei, who uses gold and silver embellishments to create fantasy driven garments. Angel illustrated a fun and colorful collection that is ethereal and modern. Guo experimented with silhouettes; she started her designs with straight dresses, but then drew inspiring shapes off of the shoulders and trains of the dresses.

Another sophomore, Tanya Kaya, displayed her Roma garment which was inspired by metal armor. It is a three piece look consisting of a top, skirt and cape. This was her Non-textile project she had done for her Creative Fashion class. It is made out of tile samples and carpet grip liner that she got from a local tile shop. The carpet grip liner acted as the base for her look; Tanya was able to machine sew the liner together, however, she did have to place tracing paper under the seams for stability. Then, all of the tiles were hand sewn on top! To begin her process, she started with making the top; the top is made out of small, graphite colored tiles. Tanya was able to angle them forty-five degrees to create a diamond-shaped look. Due to this technique, the tiles naturally created a triangular shaped neckline. She uses the same technique for the skirt; the only difference is the size and color of the tiles. Tan and white tiles make up the skirt which gives it a beachy feel. Together, the neckline of the top and hem of the skirt balance each other very well since there aren’t any harsh, abrupt lines. The cape is the final touch: it is made out of a large panel of carpet grip liner with hand sewn tiles scattered on top. Overall, this look has an earthy feel that would be perfect for a princess living in a Rock Kingdom, or for anyone who wants to feel like a powerful human being.

The All School Show once again was a great opportunity to bring students from varying majors together to discuss their art in collaborative context.