The Union Ballroom was transformed into a high-fashion space Thursday night, with music, lights and energy filling the room for the LSU Fashion Magazine’s annual show.
Models, student brands, makeup artists and members of the magazine collaborated to produce the show this year, making it entirely student-run and marking a shift from previous years.
Jayla Whitaker, president of the LSU Fashion Magazine, said the shift was both challenging and rewarding. Last year’s event was in collaboration with LSU Residential Life.
“We didn’t know how to do a lot of this stuff, but we made it work,” Whitaker said.
Planning and organizing the event began in January, and the organization hosted various promotional events in Free Speech Alley and on social media to spread the word.
Whitaker said the event’s goal was to prove that fashion on campus can be sustainable, collaborative and entirely unique.
The show featured themed walks like “Saturday Night Fever” and “Old Money/Mafia,” with outfits curated by the members of the organization and student brands, and a board showcase inspired by the magazine itself.
Student brands included Dripbyj Jewelry, Luxx Kloset, Beauty by Lexie and Denim Hills.
Junior digital marketing student Katie Glymph acted as a model during the show and dressed in theme with “Saturday Night Fever.” She said she pulled clothes from both her closet and Time Warp, a local thrift boutique, to complete the look. The final result: a flowy, floral look with bold makeup and jewelry channeling the disco era.
Glymph joined the club for a creative outlet after studying fashion and film abroad. Although it was her first time walking in a show as a model, she said she was not nervous.
“None of us have it perfect; we’re all just having fun,” Glymph said. “It’s more about the energy and making people want to know more.”
She was especially excited to walk the runway to “Judas” by Lady Gaga.
The event also spotlighted student designers like the creator behind Denim Hills, freshman Coren Hill, who taught himself to sew and design over the past year.
When he came to LSU in the fall, he started sewing game day outfits and T-shirt dresses for friends before expanding into his collection centered around denim, flannels and oversized silhouettes.
He said that once he starts sewing, designs come to him pretty fast.
“A lot of it just comes to my mind when I’m doing it,” Hill said, “but I have to be in a creative mode for me to actually want to sew.”
His collection came together in one week.
One of the models wearing Denim Hills, senior landscape architecture student Simmi Auto, grew up with Hill and decided to participate in the show when he was asked to model the brand. Auto said he knew of the fashion magazine from his experience in photography on campus, but this experience allowed him to become part of the art rather than just capture it.
“This is me being actively involved in the art,” he said.
While wearing Denim Hills, Auto said he was still encouraged to bring his own style and creativity to the runway.
The event was a showcase of creativity and a perfectly cultivated space where students could freely experiment and express themselves. As the organization continues to grow, its student-led approach redefines what fashion on campus can look like.