On March 21, fashions created for Kate Middleton, Lupita Nyong’o and other big-name celebrities will take to the catwalk at the 10th annual Threads Fashion Show at the Empire Ball Room in downtown Greensboro.
Threads, a student organization of the Consumer, Apparel and Retail Studies department in the UNCG Bryan School of Business and Economics, is celebrating a decade of student fashion creativity. The show is entirely designed, funded and created by the students in the department.
“This year’s show is inspired by the roman numeral X, because it is our 10th anniversary,” says Rachel Wilson, a senior Consumer, Apparel and Retail Studies student from Gastonia, and president of Threads.
The XOXO Show
The first portion of the show centers on the XOXO theme, and features designs from 20 different UNCG students. “The fashions must represent something that inspires the designers, something they love or something romantic,” says Wilson.
Midway through the evening, Terry Melville, former Macy’s VP of Fashion, will take the stage for a celebrity-studded showcase honoring her late mother, Betty Tonzak, a model. Melville has challenged 10 UNCG student designers to create celebrity fashions using a collection of her mother’s vintage fabrics. The runway will see garments designed for Lupita Nyong’o, Kate Middleton, Taylor Swift, Barbie, Zoe Saldana, Ariana Grande, Nicole Kidman and Audrey Tautou. Judging this portion of the show will be celebrity judges including New York fashion photographer Roxanne Lowit, fashion designer Betsey Johnson and Freddie Lieba, “Project Runway” celebrity stylist.
Wrapping up the evening are 15 student capsule collections, each featuring four to eight designs, with a different theme chosen by each designer.
Tickets can be purchased at the door or through Triad Stage. General admission is $20; VIP admission, which includes access to the VIP area, front row seats and a goody bag, is $30. Senior, student and child tickets are available as well.
The reception opens at 5:30 p.m. with a live jazz band, silent auction and models debuting some of the evening’s designs.
Inside the Designers Studio
The celebrity judges will be part of a meet and greet panel dubbed “Inside the Designers Studio” at the Weatherspoon Art Museum, Friday, March 20 at 4 p.m. Melville will moderate. The event is open to the public and there is no charge to attend.