Driven for success, Motion Wearable Art Fashion Show attracts over 200 attendees

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF JEN DOEDE
Over 30 motion-themed designs from students made their way down the runway at the Lexus of London dealership on April 12.

The showroom at the Lexus of London dealership was packed on April 12 with parents, friends and fashion enthusiasts eager to see the motion-themed garment designs created by various Fanshawe students. The garments were part of the Motion Wearable Art Fashion Show, in which students were tasked to create outfits from recycled car parts and items from the Lexus showroom.

In total, over 30 garments made from Fanshawe's fashion marketing and management and design foundations students were featured throughout the evening. Some of the items used for the garments included: car tires, headlights, seatbelts, air bags, Lexus showroom posters, wires, and much more.

According to Linda Jenken, a professor for the fashion marketing and management program at Fanshawe, the show was sold out and over 200 people attended the event.

The evening began with a cocktail hour and students and their friends were able to take pictures in front of a Lexus backdrop. In addition, attendees could bid on items in a silent auction. The proceeds from the auction went towards the Children's Health Foundation.

At 7:30 p.m., the first round of garments were featured down the runway as upbeat music resonated throughout the showroom. Throughout the fashion show, the crowd cheered for their favourite designs and there was a constant barrage of camera flashes. After the first half of garments made their way down the runway, there was an intermission and attendees had one last chance to place their bids for the silent auction. After the final garments made their way down the runway, faculty members from the School of Design spoke the crowd regarding the fashion show project and about all the hard work the students put into making the show a reality.

“People were completely wowed by the creativity [of the students]. […] The students met the challenge and took it beyond what we could only imagine,” Jenken said.

This was the first time the annual fashion show had partnered with a business. Rick Watson, the sales and leasing consultant at the Lexus of London dealership, explained that the partnership between the two organizations was formed when he spoke to Monica de Wit, a professor for the design foundations program, at a professional business group. The two brainstormed the idea of a fashion show that involved recycled car parts being incorporated into the garments. “I think the show was absolutely incredible. From what I thought [the fashion show] was going to be, tonight outweighed everything. It was absolutely amazing,” Watson said.

All the garments were judged and the top three designers received a gift bag from Lexus. Hyunmin Lee won first place, second place went to Leekyung (Lidia) Kim and Lorena Pereira and Diana Villamil Gonzalez won third place.

“I think the fashion show was super successful and is a testament to show that ideas and inspiration can come from anywhere. Rick and Monica have been fantastic to work with and [the fashion show] was an idea they had about six to eight months ago […]. We are so thankful to have a community that is so invested in our College and our dealership,” Cheriss Marson, the digital marketing and event co-ordinator at Lexus of London said.

Both faculty from the School of Design and employees at Lexus of London expressed interest in collaborating again in the future.

“From a local business stand point, to have a collaboration, particularly with an educational facility, and one as famous as Fanshawe College, our doors are open. We've got to do more [in collaboration]. We enjoy giving back to the community, specifically to that sector,” Allan Calvert, sales manager at Lexus of London said.