Interview with 2016 Fashion Show Designers

Each year after a great day of Footfest, we look forward to seeing the talent of our students showcased in the fashion show. Several designers work all year long to make their collections “runway ready”. This past weekend, the model auditions took place. Students walked in front of the designers in hopes of being selected to be a model for their collections. We talked with Jenni Karhunen, Martina Murasso and Alessia Tosetti to find out more about it. We look forward to seeing their collections at this year's Footfest.

First we talked with Jenni about her second year as a designer, her theme, the development of her collection and the auditions.

We heard you are designing this year for the second time?

Jenni Karhunen: Yes, I'm indeed designing for the fashion show for the second time now. It was really amazing to do it already last year, so I'm really excited to do it again.

How did you come up with the theme for your collection?

Jenni: Finding the theme for this collection wasn't easy for me this time; I had so many different ideas, but in the end I chose something that tells a bit of a message to people. (Jenni is not revealing her theme yet)

What is the process of developing your collection like?

Jenni: After the theme comes the fun part of drawing the designs and everything that comes with it. Being the designer is quite stressful because you have to sew everything from scratch, find the music and small things like that. Then of course, choosing the models: choosing them is so difficult because there are so many beautiful people that audition and you can only choose a few for your collection. For mine, I had to find models based on their hair color and type of skin tone, which made things extra tricky. I had to let so many amazing models go.

What were the auditions like this year?

Jenni: In general the auditions are really well coordinated. The designers are very easy to work with and in the end everyone has found their perfect collection of models.

Next, we spoke with Martina, also a returning designer, about her inspiration, her designs and how she chose her models.

What inspires you and your collection?

Martina Murasso: Anything inspires me! From where I go, to who I am with or sometimes even what I eat. Last year my theme, "African Breeze", was inspired by the several trips I made to Africa and how different cultures inspire me.

How do you design your collection around your theme?

Martina: For the designs I like to follow my own personal taste, but adapt it to what I'm creating. For example with Africa, I followed a typical arabic tribal outfit and made it my own by giving it a modern look and a personal touch.

How do you choose your models?

Martina: For the models I usually don't only go for the 'pretty ones'. Models have to fit my theme and my collection. I always look for something special in a model: she has to have some characteristics that catch the eye and make the outfit complete.

Finally, we asked Alessia why she wanted to be a designer this year.

Why did you want to be a designer in the fashion show?

Alessia Tosetti: Well, the reason I wanted to do the fashion show was the fact that I think it's a great opportunity that we have at our school! I want to be a fashion designer when I grow up and this would give me a better idea of what being a fashion designer could look like.

We are looking forward to see our designers' beautiful creations and their skills on the runway; meanwhile let's focus on organising the whole event!

by Anna Duch and Emilie Kerstens