Fashion Business

A Show Not To Be Missed

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Fata Morgana is just hours away! Final preparations and decorations are being made for GCC’s biggest event of the year. The stage is set, and decorations have begun to go up in the forum. Set up has also begun in the cafeteria for the reception that will immediately follow each show.

As well as refreshments at the reception, there will also be many vendors selling various items. This year, there are more vendors than ever before. Vendors selling jewelry, make up, and various gifts will all be a part of Fata Morgana. In addition, there are opportunities for guests to participate in activities. Perhaps the most exciting, and most fitting activity with the theme will be tarot card reading. This will be done by New Age Circle Club.

GCC will have two shows on April 25th. There will be an afternoon show at 3:00, and an evening show at 7:00. Friends, family and members of the community are all encouraged to attend. This is one show you do not want to miss!

This blog was contributed by GCC student Emily Pelton.

An Idea Becomes A Reality

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Recently, the sophomore fashion students at GCC decided that they should create a t-shirt that would serve as an illustrative way of interpreting the Fata Morgana fashion show, not only for themselves but for the Tourism & Hospitality students as well. The problems faced with creating a garment that is innovative, stylish, communicative, versatile, and unisex are really quite visible; initially,no one could agree upon an idea. A plethora of designs were pitched, yet no one unanimously agreed upon a design that they would be proud to wear around the halls of GCC.

Fashion Design student Jocelyn Eade pictured with her fabulous t-shirt design and Fashion Merchandising student Lekha Anderson.

Fashion Design student Jocelyn Eade pictured with her fabulous t-shirt design and Fashion Merchandising student Lekha Anderson.

Enter Jocelyn Eade, a talented sophomore design student. With two simple sketches, Jocelyn managed to provide a design that was everything that the fashion students were looking for. The shirts just arrived yesterday, and it was clear that everyone was overjoyed with the final result.

Special thanks to Brian Kemp at T-Shirts Etc for turning one student’s idea into a fantastic shirt, as well as to Jocelyn Eade for lending her expertise in design to such a challenge!

-Ami Cornell

Keeping It Cohesive

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Genesee Community College’s 34th annual fashion show Fata Morgana is now only one short day away. The fashion and hospitality students have been working tirelessly to make this years fashion show a fantastic success. This year’s theme is Fata Morgana. A Fata Morgana is defined as a rapidly changing and complex form of superior mirage/optical phenomenon that is seen in the narrow band right above the horizon.

giphyThe merchandising and design students have created a very detail oriented fashion show presenting very relevant and enticing merchandise. The scenes featured in this years fashion show is as follows:

  1. Battlefield- Designed and Coordinated by Amber Coan
  2. Among the Wildflowers- Coordinated by Taylor Bunch & Katie Strong with apparel by Lord & Taylor and Gymboree
  3. Transcendence- Coordinated by Angelique Porey & Sara Elliott with apparel by Porey
  4. Inevitable- Coordinated by DJ Simmons with apparel by LovelyWholesale
  5. Bare- Coordinated by Jocelyn Eade & Eunice Goeun Park with apparel by Eade
  6. Bri-Jhn- Coordinated by Brittany Breedlove with apparel by B.B.
  7. Minuit Désert By T. LaShaé- Coordinated by Tiffany Hill & Chiho Nakayama with apparel by T. LaShaé and jewelry by Na’kaylas Jewelry Box
  8. Festival Haze- Coordinated by Ami Cornell & Kylie Dunn with apparel by Buffalo David Bitton and Lord & Taylor
  9. Oasis- Coordinated and Designed by Abby Lee Wilcox with jewelry by Kana Tatsumi
  10. Opulence- Coordinated and Designed by Catherine Morales
  11. Veni Vidi Vici- Coordinated by Ariana Sneed with apparel by Candace Cooper
  12. Sandar- Coordinated by Lekha Anderson with apparel by Charles Men’s Shop and M.A. Carr Bridal

giphy (1)

The Tourism and Hospitality Management students took the theme Fata Morgana and ran with it. Transforming the cafeteria into a superior mirage, they have worked many hours making the reception immaculate, with a menu and decorations that you would have to see to believe. In addition there will be coffee donated from Tim Horton’s along with a large assortment of food spreads including veggie dips, cheese and crackers, hummus and so much more. After the show you can also stop over and enter to win a door prize, or even purchase something that you just saw on the runway moments ago!

Fata Morgana is sure to be an unforgettable experience so get your tickets now!

Tickets for western New York’s largest and longest running fashion show are being sold Fridays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the forum at the Batavia campus or by calling (585) 343-0055 ext. 6616.

Tickets for western New York’s largest and longest running fashion show are being sold Fridays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the forum at the Batavia campus or by calling (585) 343-0055 ext. 6616.

This blog was contributed by Fashion Merchandising Student Ariana Sneed.

Committee Chaos

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288830c6-3ded-4d0d-86ea-8ed79c50d820 2Well, with the date of the fashion show almost upon us, everyone is currently working their hearts out sewing, coordinating choreography, and wrangling their models together. But what about the committees? There are five committees responsible for producing the 34th annual fashion show at GCC, they include: Public Relations, Front of The House, Back of The House, Planning, and Finance.

The Public Relations committee is a crucial part of Fata Morgana, and is also the committee I am a part of. The Public Relations committee is responsible for producing all of the tweets, hashtags, posters, tickets, and the flyers for the model tryouts in the beginning of the semester. The P.R. committee also promotes the show in order to ensure record attendance and awareness. A lot of work goes into working on the P.R. committee from coordinating everyone so that we can get the program together and sent to the printer on time, to completing radio interviews.

The Front of the House committee is in charge of all of the decorations, they made the middle-eastern inspired archway for the runway, hand-painted the decorations on the sides of the runway, and finalized the runway layout.

The Back of the House committee is in charge of all of the models, specifically they must make sure that models don’t have any gum in their mouths, assigning dressing rooms, getting photographers signed and contracted, making sure everyone is quiet backstage when it’s show time. In addition to all of these responsibilities, the Back of the House committee also has the very important job of telling each scene when its time for their cue.

The Planning committee is one of the most important committees in the show, they take care of picking the scenes, music selections, they make sure things run as smooth as possible, and they hold people accountable. Everyone has their own part to play in the production of Fata Morgana.

Each scene makes the show come together and without the help that we provide one another this show would be impossible to produce. Sometimes we may not agree on things, but in the end we all want to produce the best fashion show in the history of GCC, and in Western New York, and that is what we hope to provide this Saturday!

This blog was contributed by Fashion Design Student Ryan Welker.

Create Your Success

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With only four days left until the 34th annual fashion show Fata Morgana here at GCC I know that everyone, including myself, is stressing to get last minute details in order to ensure the shows success!

This year Katie Strong and I are producing the children’s scene in the fashion show, our scene is entitled Among the Wildflowers. Our theme is very bohemian and natural in order to fit in with the theme of the entire show; we decided to make our little models look more like flower children by having them wear beautiful flower crowns.

Since “DIY” or do it yourself crafts are turning up everywhere you turn we decided to make the flower crowns ourselves! With a few materials and six easy steps we were able to create our vision of amazing flower crowns for the children to wear.

I know that everyone involved in the show including Katie and I have visions of what they wish to see walking down the runway. Sometimes all it takes are the right accessories to make everything come together just as you envisioned. It is not only the merchandise but also the details that make the show jaw- dropping and unforgettable! I know that in only four days everyone’s hard work will pay off and the audience will be amazed!

This blog was contributed by Fashion Merchandising Student Taylor Bunch.

It’s Crunch Time!

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There’s only a few days left until Fata Morgana, but no one can relax just yet. Designers are pulling all-nighters putting the last touches on their garments, models are practicing their walks and poses in sky high heels until their feet are sore, and scene coordinators are perfecting hairstyles and makeup looks for each model with their hair and makeup artists.

All of the different committees have been running around trying to perfect everything last-minute, too. On top of all of this, we are all taking at least four other classes that demand a large amount of time themselves. Since we are nearing the end of the semester, we all have final projects and papers to write for other professors. It’s not just crunch time for getting everything for the show done; we are also rushing to get other work for other classes done!

One way I handle all the course work that is given, is by doing all of the work ahead of time. I take six classes and for all of them I have my assignments done ahead of time. Doing this really helps me because I know I will be prepared for my classes and with all of that work done I can focus on other projects, like Fata Morgana. There have been times where I did not want to do any of my homework, but then I remembered all the times when I didn’t do my work and was even more stressed out as a result.

All of your responsibilities catch up with you fast once it’s the end of the semester, but it’s important to remember not to give up. Putting off responsibilities or haphazardly finishing them will set the tone for the rest of your college career, and your career once outside of college. As Lailah Gifty Akita said, “You are the only person that can create the future you want.”

This blog was contributed by Fashion Student Paige Henderson.

My Role Within Fata Morgana

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As many of you may know, there are only seventeen more days until the fashion show that everyone has been working so hard to produce. Designers have been finishing their last garments, and merchandisers as well as designers are busy with rehearsals and finalizing their scenes in order to ensure success. The hospitality students are busy working on the Fata Morgana reception, hand making all of the decorations, and making it look like you have stepped into a middle eastern marketplace.

But where did my interest in fashion begin? It all started back when I was a kid. I loved seeing the Oscars’ Red Carpet and seeing all the actresses “glammed-up” with their dresses and accessories. Then I thought, “hey, I’ve always had a creative mind.” I wondered what it would be like to design for my favorite actresses who win Oscars for roles that they’ve played.

As a part of producing the 34th annual fashion show, Fata Morgana, I serve as part of the Back of the House Committee. My job is to make sure that all of the dressing rooms are set up the Friday before the show. The next thing we must do is make sure that all models are getting their hair and makeup done by ten A.M. on Saturday, April 25th. Next, we must make sure we know the scene lineup in order, and make sure before Show Time that no models have gum in their mouths, because in the world of modeling, it’s unprofessional. Being a part of back of the house is very important because we take care of the things people don’t see to ensure that this fashion show is planned accordingly and people have a fun and enjoyable experience.

Designer, Candace Cooper, and Coordinator, Ariana Sneed, during the Ethereal Fashion Show

Designer, Candace Cooper, and Coordinator, Ariana Sneed, during the Ethereal Fashion Show

I had the pleasure last year to intern for the best scene of the 33rd annual fashion show Ethereal. The scene name was called ÉCLAT XXIIV and the head designer was GCC superstar Candace Cooper and coordinator Ariana Sneed. Interning for that scene gave me a lot of experience to see what it was like first-hand to produce a college level fashion show. The day of the show I did whatever Candace or Ariana needed me to do because I knew how important the show was to Candace and how much work she had put into her scene. I remember that she was in the sewing room day and night working on her pieces, and I could understand why it was so important.

My next role in producing this year’s fashion show, Fata Morgana, is being on an interning team for Da-vid Simmons. Her scene is called Inevitable, which means certain to happen or unavoidable. The garments featured will be merchandised women’s clubwear clothing. My roles as far as helping DJ is to help her with whatever she needs the day of the show and to assist during rehearsals as well. When it comes time for the show I’m going to make sure that Inevitable truly is one of the best scenes because I have the pleasure of being friends with the head coordinator Da-vid and I know how important the success of this scene is to her.

Fashion to me is everything. It’s the career I want to have and pursue. Fashion is about being trendy but having the ability to have your own style too, which I think is important for everyone to have. I know that once we (the whole production class) take our bow we will know that we helped in making the 34th annual fashion show a huge success and weights will be lifted off of our shoulders.

My future plans after GCC involve transferring to Buffalo State in order to study Fashion merchandising. In the summer I plan to develop scene ideas to present and hopefully get the chance to produce one for the 2016 Buffalo State fashion show.

This blog was contributed by Fashion Student Patrick Szpylman.

Fata Morgana: The Power Of Community

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As the 34th annual fashion show at GCC is coming up, everyone is putting things together in order to make certain that the show is a stunning success.

I participated in the 33rd annual fashion show at GCC by assisting with make-up. In this role, I experienced the chaos behind the runway, but it was so much more to showcase the whole show to the audience. The most important thing that I have learned from the first day of fashion production class until this moment, is the power of community. When the class started, everyone had amazing presence on their own part and tried to showcase the best of their talents for the sake of our originality, creativity, and success of the show. People not only worked on their own scenes but also held responsibilities as a committee member for the show. To get to this level of strength, we needed a strong sense of community; there is no success without the cooperation of this community. The selection of the theme of the show, poster design, runway design and all of the decorative items were discussed and decided by our community named Fata Morgana.

This year, I have the wonderful opportunity of working as a coordinator for the scene “BARE by Jocelyn Eade.” I worked tirelessly to earn this opportunity, and I have learned how to find which people I work best with, as well as how to be organized and coordinate things well in a short span of time, and how to assist my group within the best of my capabilities. As a coordinator, I take responsibilities for the arrangement of meetings, announcements, and all other communications for the  “Bare” scene. This pleasing burden I currently carry on my shoulders has allowed me to break out of my comfort zone, perform the best I can on my part, and become a better person for the communities I belong to.

I strongly believe every mistake and hardship “team Fata Morgana” faced was worth it for the success of the GCC 34th annual fashion show, Fata Morgana. I am so pleased to be part of this community and showcase this tremendous fashion show. Yes, the show is coming up. Only twelve days until the audience will be amazed for Fata Morgana!

This blog was contributed by Fashion Merchandising Student Eunice GoEun Park.

Blooming Onstage

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The day of GCC’s 34th annual fashion show, Fata Morgana, is coming up on April 25th. The theme Fata Morgana is inspired by beautiful deserts. However, the direct meaning of a Fata Morgana is a mirage. A mirage changes rapidly and shows us different views, and sometimes may bring unpredictable materials. Similar to a mirage, we will provide individuals with a rapidly changing view as each color of the desert blooms onstage.

For last year’s fashion show, I was in charge of the Front of the House committee. As a part of this committee, I watched and experienced many things. I was amazed to see the world that GCC students were able to create. Now, we’ll be the ones creating, and will provide viewers with a stage set to show a more fabulous world. This year, I am a part of the Front of the House Committee once again, and will support and contribute to the success of the fashion show fully. I am happy to contribute to the stage yet again as a part of this group of fashion students.

Our fashion show is coming in just a couple of weeks, and we are making steady progress in our preparations. The success of the fashion show will be made by not only our efforts, but also the audience member’s reactions while watching the show. Please don’t miss this moment! We look forward to showing you all what we have to offer.

This blog was contributed by Fashion Merchandising Student Kaho Sugisawa.

Two Halves Make A Whole

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Untitled.jpgAs the 34th annual fashion show approaches, everyone is working harder than ever to make sure it is the best one to date. While the fashion students have been preparing their scenes, stage, and gift bags, to ensure the fashion show is a success, the tourism and hospitality students have been perfecting the decorations, refreshments, and door prizes to make the reception memorable. It is crucial for these two halves of the event to be cohesive, and it wouldn’t be possible without the teamwork and communication that is exhibited between these two distinct majors.

Untitled3.jpgMany details go into transforming the forum and cafeteria for the fashion show. We want guests to feel as though they’ve stepped into another world when they enter the building. This year, the forum will be packed with chairs, a beautiful stage, and hundreds of twinkling lights. The decorations for the cafeteria will include tapestries ordered from India, countless lanterns, as well as centerpieces decorated with beads that the Tourism and Hospitality Management students have spent countless hours assembling. Just as the posters say, you really do have to see it to believe it. See for yourself April 25th !         

This blog was contributed by Rebecca Meloon.