Amidst mountains of fabric, sewing kits, innumerable hangers and fashionable mannequins, Charity Mize, adorned in sweats from head to toe, intently bends over her sewing machine, completely at home in the controlled chaos of Leazar Hall’s design studio.
All around her various designers are busy at work, carefully placing every stitch and adornment in preparation for the upcoming Art to Wear Fashion Show.
Art to Wear, which the Colleges of Textiles and Design are presenting in the Court of North Carolina tonight, showcases the ultimate collaboration of the students from both colleges.
Sparing no extravagance or unique detail, the 15 designers of this year’s show have utilized everything from trash to plaster and beyond.
“It’s going to be louder and bigger,” Mize, a senior in textile technology and a designer featured in Art to Wear, said. “It’s more of everything.”
The show, which has grown in both production and crowd size since its inception in 2001, has evolved from year to year, branching out its designs and adding different characteristics and ideas. Tonight it will boast a runway twice as large as last year’s, and it is incorporating an even grander light show, Mize said.
Not only have organizers upped the show’s production value, but the pieces that come down the runway will incorporate more than just eclectic designs and diverse ideas. This year, the 15 designers have unleashed their imaginations and created pieces — incorporating materials such as plexiglass, recyclables, metal and wire, and even weaving and dying their own fabrics — that celebrate the fusion of art and fashion.
This year, 70 models will be accompanying the designer’s fashions on the runway and presenting to an estimated 2,000 spectators — 20 times the amount seen at their first show seven years ago, Mize said. Furthermore, students are responsible for the entire production, from designs to lighting to music. They have even designed and printed their own shirts and bandanas, which will be on sale at the show, and drawn the attention of Raleigh’s media outlets, such as the News & Observer and NewsRaleigh.com.
“All of the students and directors have worked so hard this year,” Mize said. “It’s a great opportunity for students to come out with their friends and have a good time and see exactly what we can do.”
And as the show draws near, crunch time is settling in for all the designers. Although the designers and their models participated in a dress rehearsal Wednesday night, one can never tell when Murphy’s Law might kick in: whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.
Mize recalls many pre-show moments when designers frantically added final touches to their garments just seconds before the models stepped onto the runway. But then again, she said, that just adds to the excitement.
After a quick tour of the studio and a sneak preview of the show pieces, Mize takes her seat back by her sewing machine and tunes back into her iPod. All around, designers quietly focus on their work, carefully planning each and every stitch. One is fitting an outfit on her model, another is figuring out how to work more plaster into the design, and one is literally up to his elbows in buttons.
Where: Court of North CarolinaWhen: Tonight, 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.Cost: Free
The selection
This is the third year a jury chose which outfits designers would feature in the show. One of the jury members included the great William Ivy Long, a prominent Broadway designer and Tony winner.
Source: Charity Mize, senior in textile technology
