After weeks of planning, cutting, sewing and fitting, 13 student designers presented their collections at the annual WesFest Fashion Show last night. Eight designers agreed to give us some insight into their collections and inspirations, which ranged from Lady Gaga to plastic bags and Alexander McQueen. Despite the fact that not all of the designers even knew how to use a sewing machine when they began their projects, the culmination of weeks of effort was a show that would have made even Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum proud.

Amani Sampson ’12:
Argus: What inspired your design?
AS: The fact that out of the 100 trillion plastic bags created a year only one percent are recycled; this along with a unexplained fascination with polyethylene.

A: How do all of the pieces of the collection fit together?
AS: Plastic, all the pieces were created out of types of plastic we encounter and throw away on a daily basis. The entire collection consists of 900 feet of plastic wrap, 30 recycled plastic take-out bags, and four outdoor tablecloths. With fashion there is no need to be practical; I rather go hard, you know, break necks and drop jaws.

A: What do you want students to feel when they see your pieces?
AS: Embrace the fact that on some level we are all superficial hedonistic consumers.

A: If you have watched “Project Runway,” which character would you be (any season)?
AS: Santino Rice, I have a thing for overconfident assholes who do excellent Tim Gunn impressions.

Catherine Zhou ’13:
Argus: What inspired your design?
CZ: My collection was largely inspired by the late Alexander McQueen’s last show, which portrayed, what he called, an “apocalyptic forecast of the future ecological meltdown of the world.” I became involved in the environmental justice movement on campus after attending one of the YCCA trips to New Orleans and I believe that the “apocalyptic” future isn’t so far off. According to a report issued by the UN, contaminated wastewater now kills more people than all forms of violence, including wars. My collection aims to spread awareness about the environmental injustices caused by disparities in the availability of clean resources. By illustrating the beauty of water, I hope to convey that a new environmental movement must arise—one that focuses on the ways ecological factors can create social disparities in health and human life. I hope to bring awareness to the ways unjust practices in industrialization and food production has negatively impacted our environment, and in turn, our health.

A: How do all of the pieces of the collection fit together?
CZ: The blue, green, and purple hues, along with the textures of the fabrics used are intended to mirror the beauty seen in bodies of water. When I was brainstorming, I made a mood board with pictures of things I associated with water and marine life. Some of the images I used were shots from Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2010 RTW Collection, Hokusai’s print of the Great Wave, underwater shots by National Geographic, and “[The] Rainbow Fish,” from the children’s book.

A: What do you want students to feel when they see your pieces?
CZ: I want them to think of the fluidity of water, and how we’re all connected in a way. I hope that they will recognize that environmentalism isn’t only about trees and polar bears; it’s about the well-being of humans as well.

Naycia Dunn ’10:
Argus: What inspired your design?
ND: My design was inspired by the Night Life; the constant need for sexy dresses.

A: How do all of the pieces of the collection fit together?
ND: Some of the pieces in my collection use the same fabric and a few of them have the same design: puffy sleeves or backless.

A: What do you want students to feel when they see your pieces?
ND: I hope to come across as sort of edgy and classy.

A: Is this your first time designing?
ND: YES! I have actually never touched a sewing machine before a month ago

A: How did you learn to design and sew?
ND: I had some help from friends with the core stuff like patterns but a good amount I just winged.

A: If you have watched “Project Runway,” which character would you be (any season)?
ND: I’d be any character that lost it in the process.

Glamildi Rondon ’12, Ashley Rainford ’13, Cheryl Walker ’12:
Argus: What inspired your design:
GR, AR, CW: We were thinking about how different fashion is now from what we see in our parent’s photos from back in the day and movies. We thought it would be fun to try to recreate these styles ourselves in a more modern light with our own twists.

A: How do all the pieces fit together?
GR, AR, CW: Although all our designs are different, they all convey a sense of fun and thoughtfulness about the time period. We aim to make some social commentary regarding the times. Note the ’60s for example. We hope people will think about the significance behind our music choice and model’s behaviors.

A: Is this your first time designing?
GR, AR, CW: This is our first time designing, sewing, and everything! Some of us couldn’t even cut in a straight line! Not saying who! We got a sewing machine from home, fabric from a wholesale store, and a lot of accessories from eBay. We then watched Youtube videos and mostly just winged it. At the best of times, the sewing machine was our best friend. At the worst of times, we felt it hated us with a burning passion. But we kept each other sane and made the best of it.

Noa Borkan ’12:
Argus: What inspired your design?
NB: The clothes that I see in stores, in magazines, and on people. I look at things and try to imagine if there was any way I could make that if I put the fabric on an angle and sewed it to the elastic…

A: How do all of the pieces of the collection fit together?
NB: Florals. It’s all about florals. I am a little obsessed with florals and when I went to try and find fabrics to use for the show, the only things I ended up buying had flowers on them, so it was an easy choice.
A: What do you want students to feel when they see your pieces?
NB: Happy, springy. I little like they want to dance? That would be nice.

A: Is this your first time designing?
NB: My best friend and I bought a mannequin in eighth grade and I have been fooling around on my mother’s sewing machine since then, but this is the first time I have made something real that people can actually wear. I made the shorts over winter break and decided to roll with it.

A: How did you learn to design and sew?
NB: My mother taught me how to use a sewing machine and sew strips of cloth together in middle school. My grandfather, who is a tailor, also showed me some tricks on his machine, but I am too impatient to look at sewing books and follow patterns, so it’s mostly improvisation.

Jegadish Gunasagaran ’11:
Argus: What inspired your design?
JG: What I’ve been telling people is that I was interested in investigating structure in design by working with uncomfortable and unconventional materials. However to be quite honest, my true inspiration was Lady Gaga.

A: How do all of the pieces of the collection fit together?
JG: I only used three colors and three materials. My collection is a triptych of sorts.

A: What do you want students to feel when they see your pieces?
JG: I want them to feel like my work is not derived even though I personally know it is, and by doing so a lie will become a temporal reality.

A: Is this your first time designing?
JG: No. I designed at the Samsara Fashion Show. It was a collection based on flags of South Asian countries.

A: How did you learn to design and sew?
JG: I can’t sew and I wouldn’t claim to being able to design either.

A: If you have watched “Project Runway,” which character would you be (any season)?
JG: I’d totes be Christian Siriano from the 4th season.