By Samantha Cortes and Ani Gutierrez
LONG BEACH — MAY 1, 2023
For their 35th annual fashion show, Campus Couture designers embraced the legacy of Vogue and created custom-made collections fit for the runway.
Campus Couture is a student-run organization that has held annual fashion shows for designers to showcase their work since 1988. Past themes for the fashion show have been the soft aesthetic of romanticism and the timeless accessory of pearls.
Eleven CSULB student designers were chosen for the event and have been creating their pieces since the beginning of the spring semester. Through long processes of trial and error, these designers have brought their creative visions to life.
Sarah Pascarella, a fourth-year interior design major, turned her passion for sustainability into a fashion collection that embraces the versatility of ordinary household items. Pascarella learned the basics of sewing last semester in her soft goods class.
“From there, I was looking at all of the fashion majors and what they created and thought, ‘I want to try that’,” said Pascarella. “I just gave it a shot this year and I’m just taking it piece by piece.”
Since being chosen as a designer for the fashion show, Pascarella has spent countless late nights and hours between classes working on the designs for her collection. Pascarella’s vision for the line was to repurpose old materials around her home and design space into fashionable items.
“Most of these things don’t even look like clothes,” Pascarella said while holding a red mini skirt made from an old pillow case.
As a fairly new fashion designer, Pascarella has also encountered some feelings of imposter syndrome, but has learned to overcome it.
“You’re constantly comparing yourself to other people,” said Pascarella. “Once I stopped doing that and just looked at it as my own path and my own ideas, it’s way easier to design because then you’re using your own milestones as stepping stones rather than someone else’s.”
Pascarella said that despite these lingering feelings of doubt, she’s received positive feedback from others about her pieces.
“I’ve been posting my processes here and there on Instagram and showing my models, of course, what they’re going to be wearing and having them excited makes me excited,” said Pascarella.
Andrea Rodriguez, a fourth-year cultural anthropology major, upcycled thrifted clothing items to create a collection inspired by decades throughout the twentieth century. Rodriguez’s passion for design sparked during her home economics class, where she first learned to use a sewing machine to create a pair of pajamas.
When Rodriguez first enrolled at Long Beach City College and spoke to a counselor about her interest in the fashion industry, she was heavily discouraged from pursuing the career path.
“She (the counselor) was like, ‘you won’t be successful in a career in fashion because you’re Latina and you would have to marry a rich man’,” said Rodriguez. “I came out crying. The rest of my time at LBCC, I was just taking other classes that weren’t related to fashion.”
The pandemic hit shortly after Rodriguez transferred to CSULB, causing her to have the sudden epiphany that her major was not truly what she was passionate about.
“I just realized, at this point, I’m the only person stopping me from pursuing a career in fashion,” said Rodriguez. “So I went back to LBCC where they offer free sewing courses.”
Rodriguez crafted a collection that blended her love of history and fashion. She uses the color pink as a central focus, inspiring the name of the collection to be called Tela Rosa, or pink fabric.
“If I was the CEO of Vogue and I had control of the past couple hundred of years, this is what would be on the cover of the magazine,” said Rodriguez.
With the support of her models, Rodriguez has gradually seen the vision of her collection come to life. Rodriguez was able to help her models improve from their mistakes during practices and give them confidence boosts when they needed it.
“We’re not professionals … this is my first time doing this, too,” said Rodriguez. “I don’t expect anyone to be perfect … I know they’re gonna put in so much good effort and personality into the clothes.”
Richthida Bovannak, a junior fashion merchandising major, is highlighting her vibrant Cambodian culture through her fashion collection. Bovannak has been able to pay homage to her roots while tying in inspiration from video game characters.
Bovannak’s parents were initially hesitant about her aspirations to become a designer, encouraging her to pursue a career as a doctor because it would come with a larger salary. Upon starting college, Bovannak took the opportunity to get out of her comfort zone and push herself creatively
Bovannak has found it challenging to juggle being a student and a designer, often sacrificing her social life to meet deadlines. She also said buying the materials for her collection has been very costly, especially compared to other designers.
“A lot of the time people look towards upcycling things,” said Bovannak. “My fabrics cost a little bit more because I wanted to use traditional things.”
Family has continued to play an integral part in the creation of Bovannak’s collection, with her sisters being models for the show and her parents constantly looking for potential fabrics for the pieces.
“I cherish their help a lot because I’m going into this as an amateur,” said Bovannak. “Their help and their guidance have lifted some weight off my shoulders.”
All three designers said they were “scared, but excited” to showcase their first fashion collections at this year’s show.
“I’m excited, I’m nervous, I cry sometimes,” said Rodriguez through blurry tears. “I literally put my blood, sweat and tears into making clothes. I’m finally living my dreams.”
Pascarella and Bovannak both said they were eager to see audience reactions at the show, especially because most of their feedback has come from immediate friends or family.
The designers will present their final fashion collections, which are more than a semester in the making, during the Campus Couture Fashion Show on May 5.
