Salt Lake Community College’s Fashion Institute at South City Campus hosted its 12th Annual Project Catwalk Design Contest on Nov. 22.
The four-hour event consisted of workshops, a guest panel discussion and advice session, and a catwalk which involved six high school student submissions that represented the dreams of their younger selves.
Matt Monson, a full-time assistant professor of visual merchandising who has worked for SLCC for 16 years, said the students did a wonderful job with their creations.
“This event in particular is a collaboration between our students and the faculty, [and] members of the fashion club really stepping up to help lead. It takes a village to do anything going on and we got a good village here,” Monson said.
Mojdeh Sakaki, the program director and manager of the SLCC Fashion Institute since 1999, was one of the judges who voted on the students’ looks.
“I created the Fashion Institute when it had a certificate in fashion, that’s it. [Then] it became three separate emphases: Fashion Merchandising, Fashion Design, and Technical Apparel,” Sakaki said. “This is the only degree awarding program here in Utah, that really gives students a look into fashion that no one can get anywhere else. We train our students with the education, once they’re done, they’re ready to go to the workforce, which is great.”
According to the faculty and staff, the Fashion Institute had been preparing Project Catwalk festivities for the past three months. The COVID pandemic previously brought this fashion show to a halt, so those involved in this year’s event felt hopeful for a successful outcome and a desire to reach future students.
Before the pandemic, each year, Project Catwalk featured different themes for the students to work on, and be involved in, which became more popular and successful over time.
“I guess the biggest thing that I did was mostly trying to get as much guest speakers for the panel as possible,” said Andrea Ruiz, a fashion design student of three years and a Fashion Club officer who helped organized the event.
According to Monson, Project Catwalk presents students with an opportunity “to give themselves permission to step out there and call themselves a designer, an artist, a creative.”
“A lot of people are naturally creative, but we shut that part of ourselves down, especially as we graduate from high school or college,” Monson added.
Being a part of the Fashion Institute has its perks, including the talented and knowledgeable teachers and staff that help students become successful. Whitney Martinez, a current design student, who also previously studied merchandising, had a featured look during the showcase of alumni students, focusing on appreciation for the faculty.
“They’re really good professors, like, they will critique you and tell you what you can do [to be] better and it’s I feel, like, it’s good to take that and [work harder on] your stuff,” Martinez said.
Maria Skelton, a full-time representative and steward for fashion and technical design of more than 20 years, said SLCC has resources and classes high schools wish they had.
“We have access to the different facets of our program that might hit their interests. In terms of the student volunteers, the Fashion Club is a sense of leadership,” Skelton said. “It’s so fun seeing the students hanging out in the lab. I mean, they really grow strong bonds.”
With these programs and the different emphases to study, students have many paths into the workforce. Ruiz and Martinez both want to have their own lines and brands.
The Fashion Institute website lists a few pathways toward a career in fashion, such as visual presentation, sales, designing, manufacturing, design and production, and more. For more information about the Fashion Institute, visit their website or or stop by in person at South City Campus where faculty and staff members are available and ready to answer questions.
