The Salt Lake Community College Fashion Institute presents Facade: Shadows of Illusions, the annual Raw Couture fashion show, featuring 12 student designers and local performers in a theatrical event organized by the production class at SLCC Fashion Institute.
“The idea of this show is, [the audience] are going to be traveling through the different realms of subculture,” says Heidi Gress, production class instructor. “Every designer who presented to us had some sort of element of mystery or darkness, so it had all these [components] of shadows and this idea of illusion.”
Like most years of Raw Couture, a common theme would be assigned to the event. This year designers have been given the opportunity to choose their own inspiration. The idea is to essentially allow the students involved with the production to create and direct the show.
Each of 12 designers will be showcasing 10 looks on their own runway, apart from last year’s 10 designers with only seven looks—each unique in context and style, approaching the individual’s creative vision—making this particular production the largest fashion show in the history of the program.
“Even if you’re not into fashion, it’ll be a really interesting and theatrical performance,” says Gress. “I think, [Facade: Shadows of Illusions will] make fashion [more] approachable to people who traditionally may not understand fashion, but then it will also give a really beautiful platform for these designers to showcase [their work].”
Since the beginning of the semester, the production class at SLCC Fashion Institute has been incredibly conscientious towards this project. This year’s Raw Couture fashion show has partnered with Taylor Audio Visual, and the Aveda Institute of Provo, led by Educational Director Heggy Gonzalez, who will be providing hair and makeup for the event – along with designers and volunteers from the SLCC fashion club.
“I am really looking forward to seeing my designs on the runway,” says Rachel Hayes, student designer and Vice President of SLCC Fashion, in an online interview. “It’s so rewarding to see the collection come together from the first stages of illustration and design to styling and production of the show.”
Raw Couture is a way for fashion design students to showcase their work. The goal of the event is to capture the essence of each designer’s aesthetic.
“[Facade: Shadows of Illusions] will be an event unlike any other,” says Gress. With a variety of diverse performers, ranging from ballet to belly dancers, this production, according to Gress, “will not feel like a school show, [it] will feel like you’ve walked into a professional event.”
Facade: Shadows of Illusions takes place on Friday, May 2, at 6 p.m. in The Grand Hall at Union Pacific Depot. General admission for the public is $25 and $15 for students. More information on the production can be found at www.facebook.com/RawCoutureSLCC.
Photos courtesy of Heidi M. Gress
