This year, seniors within the University of Minnesota apparel design major decided to put together their own senior fashion show, “Unveil.”

Last year, the College of Design decided not to hold a fashion show because not enough students created pieces. The college, which typically organizes the show, chose not to again this year. 

Instead, seniors organized a show themselves to proudly display their capstone projects at the wedding venue The Whim on March 22. 

There will be two fashion shows, one at 4 p.m. and another at 7 p.m. Each show will be around an hour long and showcase designs from 15 seniors.

“This is what I’ve been looking forward to for four years of school,” Devin Schwartz, a senior apparel design major, said. “When I first got here, I was like ‘I can’t wait for the senior fashion show.’”

Olivia Bartol, another senior apparel design major, said her family has been waiting to see her work showcased for four years as well. The show is called “Unveil” because seniors finally get to show the designs they have been working on all through college.

Current seniors began research for their projects last spring, according to senior apparel design major Greta Wolsky. For their capstones, professors guide students to resolve an issue within the fashion industry. Students started sourcing fabrics over the summer and last fall, students finished up their research and made most of their garments. 

Bartol designed women’s intimates to fit overlooked body types. She created pieces that work for women with breast asymmetry and sourced fabrics with stretch and softness.

“I just want women to feel comfortable but also feel confident in what they’re wearing,” Bartol said. 

Schwartz wanted to push the boundaries of standardized sizing and gender separated clothing. He made the same pair of pants for four models with different body types to show the different ways clothing can be made to fit everyone. Two of the models are female, one is male and one is non-binary. 

“Fit is something that can be addressed,” Schwartz said. “Gender is only in clothing because we make it a part of clothing. Anybody can really wear whatever they want as long as it’s made to fit.” 

Wolsky will not have pieces on the runway. She chose to research personal protective equipment (PPE) for women in construction. She conducted interviews with women construction workers and investigated hindrances of PPE for women in a male-dominated field. 

According to Wolsky’s research, there is no PPE made for women due to a small percentage of women working in construction. Women’s bodies are different from men’s bodies, so women are stuck with gear that does not fit them properly. 

“It causes a lot of injuries for them on the job,” Wolsky said. 

Despite the challenge of putting together this show on top of their other work, Bartol, Schwartz and Wolsky agreed it is worth it. They said it has been really rewarding, and they are excited to show off their progress as learners. 

“It’s exciting to see the progress that not only I, but all my classmates, have made in the time that I’ve known them,” Schwartz said. 

Apparel design seniors spent four years learning the nitty gritty of fashion design. With the showcase, it all comes to a head for people to see. There are seats to fit 250 people at the show. 

“It’s easy to think of clothes as high fashion or trend cycles,” Wolsky said. “You come to our show and you see everything that fashion can be. It’s fun to see how far fashion can go.”

After the runway show, there is an exhibition reception. Tickets are $17 for student seating, $6 for student standing and $32 for the general public.