Thousands of members of the Wolfpack community came to the Court of North Carolina to celebrate the 12th annual Art2Wear fashion show Thursday night.
Organizers replanted the show in the Court, moving it from the Reynolds Coliseum, where the fashion show was held for the past three years. Festivities were centered around the runway, which was covered by a white tent, and organizers said they hoped this layout attendees would be able to enjoy a more intimate experience.
The event was the culmination of hundreds of hours of work put forth by 10 designers and more than 100 student volunteers working as publicists, directors, models, animators and coordinators. Art2Wear exhibited eight collections of art pieces celebrating the “Hypernatural,” a theme several attendees said was complimented by the outdoor environment.
“The runway is closer to the audience. It makes people feel like they are really part of the runway show,” Sarah Cannon, a junior in art design and textile technology and Art2Wear designer, said. “People sitting in the front rows could have probably touched the models, which is awesome.”
Among those in the front rows sat Chancellor Randy Woodson, who said the show and the students’ yearlong effort represented some of the best aspects of the University.
“Art2Wear represents two things that N.C. State really stands for — the entrepreneurship of these amazing students and creativity,” Woodson said. “This was amazing. I loved the venue and I was very excited to have it on the Court of Carolina…. It was a great night.”
Other attendees enjoyed the feeling of community organizers helped to cultivate.
“It’s really exciting to be around all these people that have the same passion and drive for fashion that I have,” Davis Derrcio, a freshman in fashion and textile management, said.
For organizers such as Katie Scheuerle, a sophomore in design studies, the feeling after the show was certainly one of excitement, but also one of relief and pride.
“All the planning that goes into it is rough, but it’s worthwhile in the end to see all these people entertained by the designers and the production that we put on,” Scheuerle said. “It’s awesome. It makes me feel happy. I love it.”
According to Marvin Malecha, the dean of the College of Design, the effort of students such as Scheuerle as well as the advice from new faculty members such as Katherine Diuguid, an assistant professor of art and design, and Justin LeBlanc, an assistant teaching professor in art and design, helped to take the production of this year’s Art2Wear to glamorous new heights.
“[At Art2Wear,] you get to see the imagination of these students,” Malecha said. “This is a student-run event. We provide some guidance. We provide some help, but they direct it. They are designing. They are doing it. This is the students’ work and [events such as this] give me faith in the future and that is what makes me so proud to be dean.”
For many designers, participating in Art2Wear has been a longtime goal. Earlier this spring, designer Jennifer Werkhoven a junior in industrial design, said participating in Art2Wear would be “the craziest, greatest thing” she had ever done.
Thursday, she did it.
“I’m starting to feel really tired, but I’m on top of the world,” Werkhoven said.
The N.C. State fashion show Art 2 Wear took place in the Court of North Carolina Thursday, April 25, 2013.
