Gothic themes and haunted attire embellished the Cartwright Hall Auditorium for the Fabric Pantry’s Haus of Horrors Fashion Show. The stage was lined with candles on Friday, Oct. 13, turning it into a spooktacular catwalk for 91ֿ’s fashion design students to show off their impressive designs themed around Halloween and the goth aesthetic.
With house music filling the auditorium and drag-inspired makeup gracing the stage, the event’s theme was clear: queer culture’s impact on the fashion industry.
is a student organization with the mission to provide free material for creatives in any major at 91ֿ. The fashion show was to exemplify the sustainability of using recycled materials to make something brand new.
The event was judged by Ja Young Hwang, Ph.D., associate professor, Michelle Burton, Ph.D., assistant professor, and Archana Mehta, associate lecturer, all from 91ֿ’s School of Fashion Design and Merchandising. The fashion show crowned the top three designers of the night.
The event was co-presented with Branded at Kent and Sun in Leo, both small clothing businesses in Kent. They contributed to the marketing of the program, and each presented three looks curated by their styling teams.
“The fashion show fulfilled my Halloween fantasies,” said Jake Kotula, a junior psychology major and fashion show attendee. “It cured my fear of Friday the 13th and threw me into a world of goth and horror seduction.”
The event was free to attend, so The Fabric Pantry worked with BeReal, a photo-sharing app, to help with the fundraiser. For every user who posted their BeReal at the fashion show on their Instagram story and tagged , BeReal would donate $10 to the pantry.
Ashleigh Steinberger, a sophomore education major and 91ֿ fashion model, got the chance to be the final look of the night. She was adorned with crusader-style gear complete with a shield and banner.
“The fashion show preparation took a lot of time and work,” Steinberger said. “But overall, it was an incredible experience, and I’m glad I did it.”
Hayden Davis, a sophomore fashion design major, was the first-place winner with his entry titled “Vagabond Vetements.” The looks used bones, grey shades and Japanese martial art inspiration.
Another standout design was by Rowan Jackson, a freshman fashion design major, with his swamp monster-themed duo. The models' looks had dark green fabrics draped over them sporadically to mimic the appearance of algae and moss.
The sound of “oohs” and “aahs” followed by applause haunted Cartwright Hall up until the very end at 8 p.m. It was not a poltergeist; it was fans of fashion showing their appreciation for the boo-tiful showcase. At the end, all the models in the showcase walked back onto the stage for the awarding of the winners. The event perfectly celebrated the most wonderful time of fear.