27th Campus Couture

In the fashion world, things are constantly changing. What’s in one season is out the next. But one mainstay that has helped launch the careers of many students at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is the Campus Couture Fashion Show.

Now in its 27th year, the Campus Couture Fashion Show is considered the largest student-run event on the West Coast. It features the work of senior designers from the Fashion Merchandising and Design program, who each showcase six to eight pieces they’ve crafted throughout the academic year. Junior-level design students show one garment each.

Models selected by the student designers will take to the runway on Friday, May 8, at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center. The event starts at 7 p.m. and costs $22.50.

This year, 19 seniors and 22 juniors are showing their work. Backstage, nearly 250 students will help execute the event, including five coordinators responsible for organizing and producing the show, 100 models and approximately 200 students from the Fashion Promotion and Sales classes.

Professor Suzanne Marshall has selected and worked with coordinators of each fashion show since 1988, and has served as faculty advisor since 1995. She says that students who’ve participated in the show have obtained internship opportunities, which often lead to jobs. The winner of the “Best Collection” at each show also goes on to Los Angeles Fashion Week, where they have they chance to meet buyers, media and other designers.

“The show definitely boosts their visibility and career start,” Marshall says. As for the students who are working behind the scenes, Marshall says they’re developing skills as leaders in a way that goes beyond traditional education.

“They work with fundraising, organization, production, public relations, budgeting and so forth,” says Marshall. “This level of leadership really makes their resumes stand out.”

Student designers will be judged on their construction skills, design aesthetic and being on trend. Judges include two CSULB alumni: Walter Mendez, owner and creative director of the Walter Collection and the most decorated winner in the 2013 Campus Couture Show, and Charlene Pack, designer for Sanrio Inc.

As expected of the fashion industry, this year’s show will feature designs that are a departure from last year’s style. What new trends might we be seeing on the runway this year? Says Marshall: “Come to the show and see for yourself!”