From The Beach To The Runway

Published October 15, 2015

CSULB alumni Melissa Feehan debuted clothing line Vis á Vis at LA Fashion Week’s Art Hearts Fashion Show at Hollywood’s Taglyan Complex last Tuesday.

By the end of her runway show, she had displayed the depth and breadth of her skill in a mix of hand-dyed silk and bolder textiles. Graduating just last spring, Feehan designed the bulk of her collection during her final semester at CSULB.

Melissa poses with family and teachers after her runway show

She showcased at the 2015 CSULB Campus Couture Fashion Show and earned the chance to show at LA Fashion Week by winning the Best Collection title at Campus Couture 2015.

“Exposure was my main goal for this show and I think I am gaining that,” Feehan says of the response to her line. She says she was immediately seeing her clothes posted up on Instagram and has had almost non-stop interest from potential customers and reporters since the show.

Melissa walks the runway at the end of her show, hand-in-han

“Our professors tell us this all the time and you don't know how true it is until you actually need help.  If it weren't for my connections that I made at CSULB I wouldn't have gotten this opportunity in the first place,” Feehan says of her alma mater.

This month Feehan hopes to launch a Vis à Vis website for customers to purchase her line, as well as feature her designs in local pop-up shops and boutiques.

Written by Sylvia Rodemeyer