The Apparel Merchandising and Design Association is having its fifth annual fashion show Thursday, April 16, at the Auburn Arena.
There are three tiers of tickets: $15 for general admission; $50 for premiere seating, which is the front row; and $70 for VIP seating.
VIP seats are mainly for sponsors, but are still available for everyone to purchase.
Anyone who purchases VIP seats will sit closest to the runway, and go to a reception after the show and participate in a separate silent auction.
All of the money goes back to AMDA, and they give scholarships to two students for approximately $500 each.
The gallery portion will begin at 6:45 p.m., which consists of several merchandising and design students presenting their fashion work that could not be featured in the fashion show.
Then the runway show begins at 8 p.m. with DJ Coco for musical entertainment.
AMDA is an association that consists of production, merchandising and design students, and it gives them the opportunity to get a feel of the fashion industry before actually.
AMDA Chairperson and Co-Coordinator Kayla Sherman, senior in apparel merchandising, design and production management, said she joined to get more involved with her major and to gain experience in the fashion world.
Sherman also wanted to make industry connections that could help after she graduates.
According to Chance Nowell, president and co-coordinator and senior in apparel merchandising, design and production management, the fashion shows started small in a backyard and has steadily grown each year.
According to Nowell, here were approximately 20 garments at the first show and no production or planning.
The show wasn’t publicized, and it was mainly for students who made the garments to show friends and family.
Last year, it grew to 450 guests, with 40-50 student garments.
Two Korean universities also sent more than 25 garments, and Southern Fashion House sent approximately 25 garments over.
This year, AMDA is expecting up to 600 guests and more garments.
Usually it takes approximately a year to plan a fashion show in the industry, according to Nowell, but the AMDA did it in three months last year and in two semesters this year.
AMDA decided to make the planning of a fashion show a class this year.
Last semester was about gathering the ideas and committees together to help plan the show, and this semester consisted more of the hands-on work toward the actual show.
According to Nowell, the process is very detailed and causes them hours of late-night work.
In a nutshell, the students pick a theme, pick models, obtain garments, pick out shoes and accessories, have fittings and start setting up the show.
As the biggest sponser of the fashion show, Dillard’s allows AMDA to choose shoes and accessories from their merchandise to use in the fashion show.
To pick their models AMDA has casting calls and their garments come mainly from students majoring in design or merchandising.
Students learn many aspects of the industry while going through the fashion show process.
Students learn how to make contracts for the models and photographers, make casting calls and do fittings.
They also learn how to keep the merchandise safe and how to develop brand cohesion.
“It’s a beast of its own company and fashion world where it’s very similar to how it is in the industry, where we’re protective over our brand,” Nowell said.
According to Sherman and Nowell, they worked hard on the fashion show and since people don’t know much about being in their major, they want to show people what they do and how much effort they put into presenting a fashion show.
“The show is very meaningful to us because we work all year long and work for long hours,” said Lindsey Smith, modeling coordinator for the show. “I can go a week or two without seeing my roommates because sometimes we spend nights working. Finals week doesn’t really exist to us; it’s like an all-semester-long thing. It means a lot for people to come support us and see all of our hard work and our efforts and how much we know about the industry.”
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