"Go Green" Fashion Show

On Friday, Aug. 19, second-year Fashion Merchandising students took their creations to the runway. The assignment was simple: create a wearable garmet using something other than fabric without sewing. The result was anything but ordinary!

Balloons, paint swatches, party supplies, electrical tape, books and magazines were just a few of the items included in this "Go Green" collection. Fashion shows were held at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. with students, faculty and parents voting on their favorites.

First place for the morning show was awarded to Madison Culley (Red Mountain High School) for her "Blue Bombshell" dress made of tissue paper and paper plates.

In the afternoon, Hailee Heighton (Apache Junction) took top honors for her "Belle Princess" dress made of tissue paper and plastic liner.

Congratulations to all of the students on their extremely creative designs!

The excitement of a new school year

In just a few days, the EVIT grounds and classrooms will be buzzing with more than 3,000 students. But, before the bell rings on Monday morning marking the official start of school, teachers are back on campus a few days this week.

Yesterday, the entire EVIT staff (teachers, administrators, support staff, maintenance workers, etc) came together for a day of in-service training. It's really a special opportunity to have everyone together at the same place and same time. The morning kicked off with an inspiration speech from Superintendent Dr. Downey, followed by the introduction new staff members and teachers and a sharing of summer adventures and accomplishments.

It's amazing how many cool places EVIT staff traveled over the summer, from Italy to month-long road trips, and the number of amazing accomplishments by our students, such as taking 2nd place in EMT at Skills USA Nationals and 1st place in Fashion Design at FCCLA (see post below).

Following the morning session, the group was divided up by birthdays then matched with a fellow co-worker at random. We then loaded on to a school bus (or van) for a special field trip and lunch at the new East campus near Power and Warner Roads.

While there was still some construction activity and furniture being moved in, it was quite impressive. My favorite rooms were the aviation classrooms, with a spectacular view of ASU Polytechnic and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in the distance. From the outside of the building it looks like an aviation tower with windows streching from nearly floor to ceiling. Other cool features include a rooftop garden, courtyard water feature and 150-seat auditorium with stadium seating. In addition to aviation, there will also be some health classes offered on the East campus.

The afternoon wrapped up back on the main campus with short presentations from various departments, such as the business office and public relations. While everyone left a bit exhausted from the amount of information and hot day, it was fun and a great chance to meet new people. There is definitely a vibe of excitement in the air and I have a feeling it's going to be a fantastic year!

Gold medal awarded to fashion design student

Congratulations to Landry Low, a Fashion Merchandising student in Kristen Johnson's class. She was awarded the coveted Gold medal for Fashion Design at this year's FCCLA competition in Anaheim, Calif.

During her time in California, she also met Wesley Nault and Daniel Feld from Season 5 of Project Runway. They were so impressed that she was offered an opportunity to intern with them when she moves to New York for school. Way to go Landry and Kristen!

Fashion students meet with the experts

EVIT fashion merchandising students met with a panel of local fashion industry leaders yesterday to ask questions and get career advice.

The panel was made of up Corbin Chamberlin, a fashion and lifestyle journalist; Chantell Nighswonger, a public relations professional with Allison & Partners; and Duc Liao, a fashion photographer.


The panel encouraged students to continue their fashion education to learn the basics of the industry, whether that be at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchadising in Los Angeles or at a local community college. But panel members also stressed the importance of getting any and all experience possible, starting now.

"Now is the time to make mistakes, to dabble and explore your passion," said Chamberlin, who is an EVIT fashion merchandising program alum.

Students asked dozens of questions, including how to stand out in a crowded industry, how to deal with frustrations in the workplace, and how to beat the competition.

"You just have to be different from your competitors," Liao said. "You cannot always be better."

Students learned that the fashion industry isn't always an easy place to work. But for those who are truly passionate about it, the great moments will outshine the bad.

"It's a lot of heartbreak," Nighswonger said. "But you live for those big moments and successes."

Nighswonger, Chamberlin, EVIT fashion merchandising teacher Kristen Johnson, and Liao

Sittin' pretty

The second-year Interior Design students wrapped up a big project this week -- the chairs that will be featured in the annual Spring Fashion Show later this year.

The Interior Design and Fashion Merchandising students are collaborating for the second year in a row for a special feature during the show. Fashion students will design garments that coordinate with the Interior Design chairs. The second-year Interior Design students presented their chairs to a panel of students and administrators.

The students were given themes, such as travel, art, music and people. From those themes, students had to find a more specific inspiration.

Here are a couple of the finished chairs:



To see more pictures of the chairs and presentations, click here.

EVIT fashion students make over Barbie

EVIT fashion students gave Barbie a makeover last semester for Mystic Paper, a paper arts and scrapbook store in downtown Mesa.

Here is a sneak peak at what they did:

To see photos of the rest of the amazing designs, check out all the Mystic Paper blog, or stop by Mystic Paper to see them in person.

Bridesmaid dresses get a second chance at EVIT!

The lace and frills of a bridesmaid dress are beautiful at a wedding, but where else can you wear taffeta, tulle and beads? East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) Fashion Merchandising students learned to capitalize on their investment in a bridesmaid dress by making it the perfect pick for more than the one wedding occasion. Their challenge? Take a bridesmaid dress and create a party dress that can shine at any special event.

They shortened the skirt, cinched the waist, and dropped the shoulder to make this dress an "any dressy Saturday night" fashion statement.

Sprucing up the everyday T-shirt

EVIT fashion students put on their second fashion show of the school year last week, this time featuring T-shirt Cocktail Dresses!

The students were required to make a cocktail dresses out of an ordinary t-shirt. Here is one of my favorites:


They also were allowed to use materials like lace and tulle to spice things up.


Pretty impressive, right? For more pictures from the morning and afternoon shows, click here.

Any suggestions for what type of garment they should feature in their next show?

Fashion students "Go Green"

EVIT's second-year fashion merchandising students are learning to "go green," as they prepare for their first fashion show of the school year: the annual "Go Green Garment" Fashion Show.

The students must each design a wearable garment out of everyday household items, such as garbage bags, duct tape, newspaper and balloons. The idea is to transform everyday materials into something wearable and fashionable. Traditional clothing materials -- fabrics, zippers, ribbons -- are not allowed.

The students have been hard at work all week, putting together their creations:

First-year fashion students will model the creations at the fashion shows, which will be held at 9:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. this Friday, Aug. 20 in the fashion merchandising classroom.