My name is Sofiane Hamadi. I was born in France on the periphery of Paris. Although I was very young, I was open to the culture of fashion. People were free to wear whatever they want where I grew up, such as: fancy sneakers with a suit or a tracksuit with some classic shoes. Well, I guess that my visual memory stocked all of those images somewhere in my brain. That may unconsciously explain the fact that today I find myself participating in the production of fashion show. I was focused all my life on soccer and business; I achieved a very good level of soccer and secured a bachelor’s degree in business management. I came to America to pursue my dream of becoming a businessman and playing soccer at a quite decent level. I love challenges and risks; that keeps my mind busy to always find solutions to achieve things on my “to do list”.  However, I have a crazy imagination and enjoy creating and trying new things. At first sight you might not like my fashion style because it is mostly sporty and I wear a lot of simple joggers, but I don’t really fancy to dress up and kind of show off  here since I have no reason to wear fancy clothes. Some days  I have to walk 4 miles to get to school; I prefer more the practical aspect.

In Greek mythology, Apollo has been recognized as a god of music, sun, and light. The music is the big inspiration for me to draw a design and make clothing. In the mean time, I listen to music that inspired me. My favorite category of music is Rock and Roll. I like to listen to the Rolling Stones, The Beatles etc. I also love 70’s and 80’s fashion; these eras express the freedom, culture, and empowerment which are the huge inspirations for me. My favorite designer who inspired me is Hedi Slimane. Hedi is the former creative director for Saint Laurent. He changed my life. He made me want to design both male and female clothes. He taught me the power, sophistication, and beauty of a woman. I tend to wear black and dark colors, and skinny styles because of Saint Laurent. Also, he is inspired from rock as well. I really appreciate that he has helped me to develop my idea and imagination. The other guy is Hiroshi Fujiwara, known as a godfather of Ura-Harajuku fashion and is a globally influential street wear designer, including being the pioneer for Nike’s “HTM” line, and the “Fenom” line for Levi’s. He launched his first brand, Good Enough, POOL, and The Parking GINZA. He is a motivation as a Japanese student studying in the United States.

Saint Laurent Fashion Show Menswear Collection Spring Summer 2016 in Paris Photo by Valerio Mezzanotti

In the fashion show, I will combine both the rock element and Greek mythology. It’s going to be really tough, because I have never done anything like this before. Creating apparel like this will be a good experience, and will connect to my career in the future. Furthermore, I want to acquire knowledge and skill through this show where I hope it builds experience in the fashion industry. I’m really thankful to be participating in the show, because this is my second time. I am going to do my best, and keep going for my dreams.

Author: Masato Tsunekawa

Instagram: @ksizn

In Greek mythology, the story of Hades & Persephone is one of the most legendary tales of all time.  Persephone, Goddess of Spring, was wandering around the fields of Nysa picking flowers.  She was suddenly abducted by Hades, God of the Underworld, in his horse-drawn chariot.  He was in love with her and wanted her all to himself.  The earth opened up as he kidnapped her and made her his prisoner in the underworld.  She spends about 1/3 of the year there, during the winter months.  The rest of the time, she may return as the Goddess of Spring, but will always be trapped as his prisoner.  Her mother Demeter, Goddess of Agriculture, never approved of this and quite frankly, neither did Persephone.

This is my final semester at GCC, and I’m so excited to say that I will officially have another scene in this year’s show!  Producing a scene for a fashion show is a lot harder than it looks.  Thankfully, I’ve had some experience doing this in the past.  Last year as a freshman, I co-produced a scene called “Fashion Is Surreal”.  There’s a lot of different components that go in to making a scene absolutely perfect.  There’s finding different stores, designers, or retailers to work with, finding models, making sure everything is shipped/delivered on time, scheduling rehearsals, finding hair & make-up artists, coordinating all of the logistics for the rehearsal and show days, & of course, making sure it’s all documented and official.  It’s a lot more work than it sounds.  Things pop up and you have to be prepared for the unexpected.  Last year, one of my models broke her leg a week before the show and I had to find a replacement.  It comes with the territory.

This year, my scene is going to include both male and female models.  It’s going to start off showing Persephone as the Goddess of Spring, and then follow her transformation into the Goddess of the Underworld.  Think pastels, floral motifs, headdresses and accessories, followed by devil horns, dark colors, smoky eye makeup, and jewels for days.  Then, after a slight change of music and atmosphere, Hades will emerge from the shadows.  Persephone is going to be dressed in goddess-like, ethereal evening gowns & Hades is still going to look evil, just glammed up a bit.

And then there’s the fact that I’m also the Project Manager for the PR Committee!  The job of the PR committee is to make sure that the show gets promoted & advertised.  We’re responsible for coming up with an official logo, distribution to local media outlets, conducting radio interviews, posting on social media, blogging, basically anything and everything that will bring exposure to the show.

The fun part of it is…well, everything!  There’s not really a better feeling than seeing something you’ve worked so hard on and created come to fruition.  It’s beyond satisfying to see your hard work come to life in front of hundreds and hundreds of people.  The thrill of the busy-ness of those two days gives you such a rush, but when it’s over you know that it was all worth it.

Author: Jenna Curcio

Twitter: @JennaCurcio1

Instagram: @jennacurcio24

Personal blog: Jenna Inc.

Fashion Shows by definition are an event at which collections of newly designed clothing are modeled for an audience. But, for us fashion students it is so much more. Come Saturday April 29th, we will have logged hundreds of hours preparing for this capstone in our college career. From decorations, and merchandise, to models and marketing, we are tirelessly working to prepare for the 36th annual fashion show, in hopes of it surpassing any of the past shows. We have made strides of progress, but we had to start somewhere.

In the Fall 2016 semester, we were given an assignment for our Merchandise Planning and Control class; develop and present a theme for the show this coming spring. Easy, right? Not so much. I know personally I spent a couple days going back and forth trying to curate something that was fresh, but also wide open for interpretation. What I finally landed on? Elysium.

Elysium, a prominent term in Greek mythology, refers to the “heavenly bliss” of the greek afterlife. It is a direct representation of happiness and beauty. Personally I saw this as a great opportunity for myself and fellow students to demonstrate what fashions made them happy. Taking it a step further, I decided that each individual scene should be named after a Greek God or Goddess, whom the students fashions represented. It was an opportunity to incorporate a high level of inclusivity, while sticking to a strong theme. Now imagine the forum decorated to resemble Mt. Olympus…pretty amazing, right?

I am excited to be as involved as I am for the show this spring. From deciding the theme for the overall show, designing the aesthetics for the forum, working as the Project Manager for the Front of the House Committee, as well as producing a scene with a fellow student, it is a whirlwind of managing different aspects.

My scene, produced in conjunction with Sophomore, and fellow Event Planning student, Mary Nolan will focus on the Goddess, Gaia. Known as the goddess of earth, our scene will heavily feature, natural bohemian wear, mixed with earthy elements, which truly is a personification of both Mary and myself.

I am beyond humbled to have had my theme chosen for production from among my fellow students. The level of talent present in this program is astounding, and I still have a hard time grasping that people believe in my theme, as much as they do. The 2017 Fashion show will certainly be a tremendous amount of work, however there is a surplus of creativity, talent, dedication and inspiration that will hopefully push this show to be the best one to date.

Author: Ciera Schwartz

Instagram: @ciera_m

Twitter: @cieramschwartz