For the first time, creators from beyond the University claimed the runway at Wesleyan.
Outside the Lines, which premiered Friday, Dec. 5 at Beckham Hall, invited five visiting designers to show off their latest lines to University students and Connecticut industry professionals. Hosted by the Students of Color (SOC) Fashion Show in collaboration with Fray Magazine, a student-run fashion publication, the event marked the first time external designers showcased designs at the University, according to the event’s organizers.
The SOC Fashion Show typically organizes an annual showcase featuring student designers and models every spring in Olin Library. SOC Fashion Show board member Zuhayr Masud ’27 said that the inspiration for the new event, which occurred outside of the show’s regular schedule, came from a personal connection; the idea to involve outside designers began when Masud discovered that a friend’s girlfriend, Maria Teresa Furtado, had released a series of babydoll dresses in her brand MTF.
“I was like, ‘Yo, your clothes are fire. I bet I could show them at Wesleyan,’” Masud said. “And then it kind of grew from there.”
The show featured MTF, 3VAN, Rootswear, Saint, and Sol Blossom Crochet, five brands by local designers. Sol Blossom Crochet, started by Ivanie Cedeño ’22, marked the return of a beloved small business to campus.
“The inspiration for this specific collection was me going through my collection and looking through what I’ve made in the past few years,” Cedeño said. “It’s a mismash of different ideas that come together.”
To match the theme of Cedeño’s line of crochet bras and tops, titled “Elevated Contrast,” she encouraged models to build an outfit from their own wardrobes around the crochet top they were modeling, as if they were wearing them to dinner during a typical day on campus.
Cedeño, who currently sells crochet tops as a side gig while studying for law school, began to teach herself how to crochet when she wanted to wear bralettes in high school but was unable to find affordable options. She continued her crafting and grew her hobby into a small business in college, when demand from Wesleyan students skyrocketed. As a student, Cedeño both modeled and designed for the SOC Fashion Show.
“I loved the SOC fashion show, so being asked to come back, to speak to some of the students, that really played into my core values,” Cedeño said, highlighting her belief in the benefit of mentorship.
The decision to host professional designers was strategic, as it made the show as much a networking and social opportunity as it was an artistic one, according to Masud.
“I was thinking, okay, how can [an attendee] benefit from this event?” Masud said. “I wanted it to be that every single person goes there and leaves with something. It was just supposed to be a catalyst for creative careers.”
Each brand had a distinct personality. Baggy black streetwear was paired with metallic face coverings. Gauzy white skirts fastened with chain belts accompanied clementine orange halter tops. A denim top and jeans were deconstructed and re-outfitted with patterned print. Another set was sun printed and embroidered with cowrie shells. Other outfits modernized traditional ethnic wear. For a show that emphasized the creativity of design outside the lines, diversity and unpredictability proved a fitting theme.
“I do feel very proud of everybody,” Masud said. “A lot of these models have never modeled—they’re students. But they did such a good job. You can ask somebody to do something, but you can’t ask somebody to be passionate.”
Aarushi Bahadur can be reached at abahadur@wesleyan.edu.
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