Texas Tech University

Apparel Design and Manufacturing Undergraduate Seniors Showcase Brilliant Fashion Collections

Hannah Fields

June 1, 2021

adm fashion show

From Womenswear to Sportswear, seven ADM seniors showcased their end-of-year projects to the Lubbock community

Texas Tech Apparel Design and Manufacturing (ADM) senior undergraduates had the opportunity to showcase their fashion designs at the May 2021 Techstyles Fashion Exhibition held at the 5&J Gallery at Charles Adams Studio Project in Lubbock, Texas.

The yearly fashion event features juried fashion from ADM graduating seniors and showcases apparel designs of junior and senior students that have recently won awards at the annual Fashion Group International Scholarship Competition held annually in Dallas, Texas.

However, the 2021 event looked a bit different than it has in previous years due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Under normal circumstances we host a live fashion show with large model calls and numerous model fittings,” ADM Program Director Rachel Anderson explained. “When planning the show in January and February of 2021, there were limits on what we were going to be able to do safely, and being unsure of what would be happening in May, we planned and organized a fashion exhibition in an art gallery setting this year instead of a runway show.”

The fashion ensembles were exhibited on mannequins along with the students' portfolios and a bird's eye view of their design sketchbooks as they were developing the collections this semester from home and on campus. Some students also exhibited photography from small local fashion shoots of their collection on models.

Despite the change, Anderson said the students maintained a positive attitude toward the event – an outlook which was shared by ADM senior and recent graduate Alison Martinez.

“Preparing for the ADM show was very hectic but worth it,” Martinez said. “The adrenaline and excitement were what kept me motivated.”

Martinez, who says her designs were inspired by bright colors and invoking a sense of joy in others, has also taken that desire to El Paso, Texas where she is completing a buying internship at a high-end boutique. She plans to continue working for the boutique stylist, visual merchandiser, and buying assistant once her internship is completed.

This year's Apparel Design and Manufacturing fashion exhibition also showcased one look from each of the seven seniors' collections using cotton fibers, with one look being considered for the “Best of Cotton” award.

“The fabric and ‘Best of Cotton' award were generously funded for the students by Homestead Cotton Company, Hurst Farm Supply, Capital Farm Credit and Texas Farm Bureau of Lubbock, with the mission to promote the use of the cotton fiber and West Texas agriculture,” Anderson said.

The "Best of Cotton" award was awarded to senior ADM major, Kaelyn Blayne, with a winning prize of a new domestic Serger sewing machine. 

Additional award winners included 2021 Fashion Group International winners Kaelyn Blayne, 2nd Place Sportswear, Melissa Rosales, Best of Sewing and Honorable Mention awards, and Kennedy Smith, Apprenticeship award with Project Runway contestant Lela Orr's eco-luxury company Ferrah in Dallas, Texas. 

All-in-all, Anderson called the event a great success – one in which the students were able to showcase their talent in exciting ways.

“The exhibition was an exciting culmination of their skills in fashion illustration, digital design, apparel design, styling, textile design, patternmaking, and draping,” Anderson said. “Each of the seven fashion collections had a distinctive point of view and looks ranged from womenswear and menswear to an athletic wear collection infused with LED lighting.”