Studying abroad inspires student’s winning fashion show collection

For a second year in a row, a student whose fashion designs were inspired by traveling overseas took the top prize at the The Fashion Show at Iowa State University.

Katrina Pedrick, a senior in apparel, merchandising, and design, won the $1,000 Lora and Russ Talbot ISU Fashion Show “Best in Show” Scholarship with her collection called “On the Fringe” at Iowa State’s 36th annual fashion show, held Saturday night at C.Y. Stephens Auditorium.

Pedrick’s collection was inspired by studying abroad in Santori, Greece. Creating the collection required hours of practice weaves, experimenting, and inspiration research to make sure she executed her vision to reach its full potential.

“I came across a small shop with purses made with scrap fabric and leather woven together to create patterns, fringe, and a rough mixture of color and texture,” Pedrick described on her website. “I took this inspiration and made it my own in this line. The woven aspect in the garments was executed by weaving yarns by hand, with a yarn needle, through a wide mesh material. The fringe was created by hand with a latch hook tool. The mesh was first sewn into the garment with the other materials, and then I created the woven designs and placements in an as-you-go improvisation manner.”

Pedrick’s collection also took first place in the wearable art category, and first place in the new AMD 495: Senior Line category.

“The judges felt the craftsmanship and aesthetics were truly exceptional,” said Sarah Bennett, faculty adviser to The Fashion Show and a lecturer in apparel, events, and hospitality management. “They commented several times that every piece in the collection could be put into a store for sale immediately.  They were impressed with her experimentation of execution of the weaving technique, as well as how that technique was included in pieces throughout the collection.”

Last year, winning student designer Sarah Mader was also inspired by studying abroad. Her eight-piece collection of dresses and a jumpsuit took Best in Show in 2017 and was inspired by traveling overseas to Spain, Morocco, and the Sahara desert.

Pedrick’s collection was among more than 125 student-designed garments featured at The Fashion Show 2018, one of the largest student-run fashion shows in the nation. The show attracted more than 2,000 people and was broadcast live on The Fashion Show’s website.

Pedrick also placed second in the fashion illustration category with her rendering called “Zimmerman,” and third place in the formal wear category for the “Prom dress” she designed.

Winners in other categories

This year’s show attracted a total of 167 entries — 85 of which were accepted for the runway, and 30 which were displayed in mounted exhibitions. Students competed in 20 categories for $16,300 in scholarships.

Blaze Best, a senior studying apparel design with a double major in industrial design, was announced as this year’s winner of the $5,000 Todd Snyder Scholarship in Memory of Ruth Glock. Best focuses on studying soft goods and accessories including sportswear, footwear, football and soccer cleats, and athletic equipment.

The scholarship is sponsored by Snyder, a 1992 Iowa State graduate and well-known men’s fashion designer. Snyder has been nominated several times for Council of Fashion Designers of America awards including Menswear Designer of the Year.

Other winners of this year’s Fashion Show are as follows. First-place winners in all categories received $500, while second-place winners took home $300, and third place received $200.

AMD 495: Senior Line: Katrina Pedrick, “On the Fringe,” first place. Shae Smith, “Rogue,” second place. Tara Efobi, “Hjemme,” third place tie. Yu Ching Lin, “Lion Dance,” third place tie.

Accessories: Jessica Helberg, “Shaftesbury Avenue,” first place.

Activewear/Athleisure: Sarah Waigand, “Stride,” first place. Rose Echard, “The Landry,” second place.

Children’s wear: Emily Clark, “The Light Unseen,” first place. Yu Ching Lin, “Mola,” second place.

Costuming: Alex Peters, “HND,” first place. Yu Ching Lin, “Lion Dance,” second place.

Day dresses: Carlie Howard, “Story,” first place. Caye Schnackel, “Sweet Stems,” second place. Thuan Luong, “Here’s the 411,” third place.

Digital Printing: Emily Clark, “Contaminated Imagery,” first place. Tara Efobi, “For Ren,” second place. Emily Clark, “The Light Unseen,” third place tie. Emily Clark, “Survivor,” third place tie.

Fashion illustration: Rylie Smith, “Meet Me On the Slopes,” first place. Katrina Pedrick, “Zimmerman,” second place. Lauren Latham, “Olympia,” third place.

Formal wear: Emily Clark, “Contaminated Imagery,” first place. Carlie Howard, “Altered Elegance,” second place. Katrina Pedrick, “Prom Dress,” third place.

Graduate: Archana Edmond, “Yoddha,” first place. Samantha Creeger, “Spektre/Halophyte,” second place.

Inspired by the Textiles and Clothing Museum: Courtney Nikkel, “Recycled and Reimagined,” first place. Courtney Nikkel, “Modern Nomad,” second place (also selected as Judges’ Choice — Honorable Mention).

Portfolio: Emily Clark, “Survivor,” first place. Lydia Loya, “Digital Portfolio,” second place. Abigail Faith Goeser, “Function + Femme Lookbook,” third place.

Sleepwear/Loungewear: Tara Efobi, “For Ren,” first place.

Sportswear: Tara Efobi, “Hjemme,” first place. Tara Efobi, “Homesick,” second place. Abigail Faith Goeser, “Archive,” third place.

Suiting/Business Attire: Lydia Loya, “Modern Heritage,” first place.

Wearable art: Katrina Pedrick, “On the Fringe,” first place. Shae Smith, “Rogue,” second place. Emily Clark, “Survivor,” third place.

Wearable technology: James Lieven, “Black Pauldron,” first place.

Students also competed for the Lora and Russ Talbot Merchandising Scholarship. In this year’s competition, students had the opportunity to partner with Versona of Des Moines to develop a case study. Sarah Wright, a junior in apparel, merchandising, and design, was the winner of the case study and will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Producers receive scholarships

The theme of this year’s Fashion Show was “Resilience,” a representation of minimalistic modern concepts and organic greenhouse inspired elements.

A $100,000 gift from Ana Hays McCracken, a 1984 Iowa State graduate in fashion merchandising, the largest endowment received to date by The Fashion Show at Iowa State University, provided scholarships to The Fashion Show producers Josie Brownmiller, Emily Clark, Jessica Helberg, and Sarah Waigand.

A crowdfunding campaign from mid-January to mid-February — an online effort that raised small gifts from a large number of people — generated $27,978 from 256 donors, surpassing The Fashion Show’s goal of $25,000. The money was used toward the more than $50,000 cost to put on Iowa State University’s annual fashion show and to award prizes in up to 20 scholarship categories.

Guest judges this year included Emily Erusha-Hilleque, design director for women’s ready-to-wear young contemporary brands at Target; Emily Kammeyer Sumner, director of technical design at Universal Standard; Tameka Ellington, an assistant professor of fashion design at Kent State University; and Tyler Valladolid, a senior merchant at Abercrombie & Fitch.

The guest designer featured after the show’s intermission was Patagonia, an American clothing company that sells outdoor clothing marketed as sustainable.

Iowa State’s apparel, merchandising, and design program is endorsed by the American Apparel and Footwear Association. It is one of the few apparel programs in the nation where undergraduate students have access to technologies including a digital textile printer, 3-D body scanner, laser cutter, and product development technology and testing lab.

News