When it comes to fashion at the University, one organization dominates. Fashion Artistic and Musical Expression brings the runway to Grounds every semester, showing off the design and modeling skills of University students at its shows.
FAME Co-President Abby Ciucias said the organization formed in 2008 when the previous fashion club was suffering from financial problems. FAME's staff decided to make its organization different from the fashion club by adding in small musical and artistic influences.
For the past two semesters, FAME has been trying to change its focus again.
"Last semester and this semester we've been trying to transition FAME back [to mostly just fashion]," Ciucias said.
Ciucias said as the only existing club of its kind, FAME has a duty to bring students as many fashion and design related opportunities as possible.
"I really wanted to try and liven it up a little bit, because it really is the one fashion thing at U.Va., and I think it has the potential to attract a lot of people at U.Va. but a lot of people just don't know where to find it," she said.
To "liven it up," the staff chose to focus on all aspects of fashion.
"This semester we are trying to make FAME inclusive of all the things that go along with fashion like fashion design [and] modeling," Ciucais said. "We do a 'look book' each time so there are fashion photographers and look book editors."
Artistic Chair Laura Price makes the look books each semester.
"It's like a magazine where all the designers' collections are shown," she said. "The photographers work on a deadline with photo-shoots and send me all the photos which I edit, change the colors ... I also enter the designer's name, the photographer's name and the model's name, and then go to the printer with a mock-up." As a part of the artistic expression portion of their shows, FAME designers display design boards which include sketch ideas and show all the steps which went into designing their garments.
FAME has also been trying to reach out to the Charlottesville community to find sponsors and add more local flair to their shows.
Ciucas said the organization is looking into doing more fundraising with local shops and considering having the models wear local clothing for the introduction to the fashion show.
The club hopes to get more professional advice from Charlottesville business owners as well.
"In the past we've had recruiters come from Abercrombie and Fitch and talk about their management strategy ... but it would be nice to have local artisans and designers come and talk to the whole group," Ciucias said.
For each semester, FAME chooses a theme to serve as a guideline for its final show. Last semester the theme was "Fashion Studies," and models started the show in school blazers and ties.
"We pick an overall theme ... but we don't try to restrict the designers to making something," Co-President Ashleigh Johnson explained. "We still try to make it so that each designer has his own theme in the collection, which is a minimum of three pieces, including accessories."
Typically each show displays the work of 10 to 15 student designers.
"The one thing we require [for designers] is that they have to make their own patterns, so it's really your own thing and your creative side that comes out," Johnson said.
Johnson is both a designer and a model, but said she did not have experience in either field before joining the organization.
The group emphasized that anyone with an interest in fashion could join and that students should not be intimidated by inexperience or fear of stereotypes about modeling.
"You don't have to look like a runway model," Price said. "We want everyday people to come out and model no matter how tall or short or what size you are. It's nice because a lot of designers actually want to wear [the clothes] themselves."
There are many different positions on the staff and some members have multiple roles. Along with creating the Look Book, Price works for FAME as a photographer and model.
For some of the staff members, the work in FAME is a preliminary experience for a career in fashion after college.
"Some of the models we've had in the past have gone on to model professionally, so there's people who want to do it for fun and definitely people who want to pursue it after graduation," Ciucias said. She said the club is more of a hobby for her and she does not want to join the fashion industry after graduation.
Others value FAME's social aspect.
"My favorite part of FAME is the people," Johnson said. "It's becoming more and more well-known, but I've been with the same people since I joined and we're just like a little tight-knit community"
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