On Sept. 25, Senior Fashion Student Lindsey Dobson debuted her full collection at Kansas City Fashion Week. Dobson submitted her portfolio to KCFW and had a meeting with a style board that later accepted her as a student designer.
Dobson’s original collection was created the previous semester for her senior seminar class. The collection was called “Sustainable Sitch” and focused on using upcycled denim. For the fashion show, she used several pieces from her senior collection but with a new concept.
“This year I kind of expanded that [concept] and added trendy elements,” Dobson said.
Dobson created eight looks for the runway, all from recycled denim. She also has an online business that creates custom pieces.
Photo Submitted by KCFW
“I don’t want to be quite tied down to denim. I want to keep it as creative and as open-ended as I can. So, it’s basically just going to be custom looks for whatever anybody wants and that way I can stay creative and keep my mind going,” Dobson said.
UCM Fashion: Textiles and Clothing and Business students have been volunteering at KCFW for several years.
“We’ve done a fall and a spring volunteer UCM night since 2021,” Melissa Abner, Associate Professor and Program Coordinator in the Fashion Program, said.
Volunteers help in every way, from showing guests their seats and cleaning the runway, to helping backstage as design assistants. This year, 25 students attended KCFW as volunteers.
“It’s important to gain experience working alongside the KCFW team at such a prestigious event. This allows the students to make connections and open up possibilities for career opportunities,” Junior Avery Barr, president of the Fashion Business Association, said.
Abner also agrees that it’s useful for students to see what is available to them in their major. She says there is more to fashion than just designing and there are many ways students can get involved with the event.
“Model agencies and public relations agencies are there, so they [students] can make contacts with other careers in the fashion industry that are not just design-based,” Abner said.
Dobson’s work can be found on her Instagram page, @lookett.e.
