The student-run thread fashion show returned for its second year on April 11, raising money for The Village for Families and Children, bringing people together through personal style, and garnering massive community support for another successful showing.
The show was held in Roberts Theater and included students, faculty, and pets on the runway. Before the show, there was a silent auction supporting The Village, the charitable organization the event benefited. The auction prizes consisted of items provided by local businesses, allowing the businesses to support a great cause and connect with the KO community. Further supporting The Village, all ticket sales were donated to the charity as well.
In addition to serving the community, the show was intended to allow all of its participants to exhibit their unique sense of style on the runway. Senior founder and Editor-In-Chief of thread Ava Cashman talked about what they were looking for. “We want everyone to wear an outfit that reflects their personal style,” she said. “Something new we tried this year is having everyone give us a walk-up song, which allows them to feel even more confident on the runway.”
In addition to giving each participant their choice of walk-up song and outfit, they also were able to write a short bio to be read about them while they were walking the runway. The bios ranged anywhere from people’s hobbies to their outlook on style to what college they are attending. Ava wanted to promote individuality and inclusivity through the show, so all KO community members were invited to walk via a Google Form Ava sent out to the school. Because of this strategy, the show was able to get plenty of participants and demonstrated various styles from several generations.
The event was put on by Ava, Events and Outreach Directors junior Joella Asaphokai and sophomore Kate Dempsey-Weiner, and many other key members of the thread team. Ava described the support she received from a former student who put on a similar show during her time at KO. “Ms. McKee connected me with a KO alum, Leah Gilbert, who started the KO fashion show here about 15 years ago,” she said. “I talked on the phone with her and she gave me such great advice and encouragement.”
Furthermore, the thread team received support from their faculty advisors; Catherine Schieffelin helped behind the scenes every step of the way and Caitlin Moriarty walked in the show. Additionally, Director of Technical Theater Michael Bane helped build the stage, set up the theater, and control the lights and sound for the show.
The event was a phenomenal success for the KO community as it both brought people together and raised money and awareness for a phenomenal cause. The Village serves a number of different communities, providing emotional and social resources like counseling, in addition to foster care partnerships. The Village also has a direct connection to the fashion show, as a large part of their fundraising methods include their Second Chance shops which Ava says allow people to feel confident in their style while not breaking the bank. These reasons made The Village a clear choice for a partnership and all relate back to the show’s name, “A Common Thread,” which represents the efforts thread makes to unify people through fashion and community. As a result of this event, $3529.83 was raised for The Village, which demonstrates the massive impact the event was able to have!
The second-annual thread fashion show was once again a smashing success, and thread looks forward to having another successful fashion show next year!
