In a few short weeks, fashion takes center stage in Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum as Auburn University College of Human Sciences Apparel Design and Merchandising students host The Fashion Event on Friday, April 14 at 6 p.m.
According to this year’s organizers, The Fashion Event, appropriately named “The XIIth Hour” signifying the 12th anniversary of the event will celebrate finding harmony in opposing ideas through the elements of design. The XIIth hour is where tranquility and turmoil exist in equilibrium. The number 12 represents the balance between opposites, sun and moon, light and dark, harmony and havoc living in a coexisting state. From midnight to noon and back again, time passes continually while we search for our own personal tranquility.
Known as Auburn University’s premier fashion showcase and one of the top college-level productions in the nation, the annual Fashion Event is co-sponsored by the College of Human Sciences Department of Consumer and Design Sciences and the Auburn Apparel Merchandising and Design Association.
Wrangler Associate Professor and the Fashion Event Advisor Dr. Karla Teel has been involved with The Fashion Event since its inception in 2011, when the inaugural event was planned with a budget of only $300. Twelve years later, Teel said the production continues to impress and has experienced tremendous growth.
“The Fashion Event serves as the signature student design exhibition at Auburn University, planned and executed by apparel students who are enrolled in a year-long course that serves as an extensive training tool – exposing students to different roles in the fashion industry needed to produce top quality fashion events,” Teel said. “Last year’s show in 2022 had over 900 people attending a live runway show on campus that included mounted exhibits, e-portfolios, visual merchandising vignettes, and interior design projects. Expect similar projects but better than ever in 2023.”
After the global pandemic forced the cancellation of The Fashion Event in 2020, 2023 will mark the second consecutive year The Fashion Event will be held live as the student-led fashion showcase will feature creations by the next generation of fashion designers and merchandisers.
World-famous DJ CoCo (Andrew Thorp) who has provided music for high fashion runway shows in New York, Paris, Milan and London is set to return to Auburn to help highlight the commitment and creativity of apparel students with his musical talent. Every garment presented on the runway is designed, created and styled by students.
Tickets are expected to sell quickly as The Fashion Event has been nominated for “The Most Entertaining Campus Event” for Auburn University for a second consecutive year. General admission tickets for The Fashion Event are now on sale for $20 each while VIP seating costs $75 each and grants entrance into the event with guaranteed VIP runway seating and also includes admission into the VIP reception. In addition, Auburn University student admission costs $10 each, premium seating tickets cost $50 each and Fashion Event Look Books are available for $25 each.
When purchasing The Fashion Event Look Book, there’s an option to pick up the look book in person the night of the event or you can choose to have it shipped to you for an additional fee of $6. For more information on the look book and to purchase tickets to The Fashion Event, visit aub.ie/fashionevent
