The Circular Fashion Exposition had its sixth annual show at Siebel Center for Design on Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. This year’s CFE contained six expositions that followed the theme of “Manifeste du Surréalisme.”
Along with a theme of surrealism, one of the goals of CFE is to promote sustainable fashion and consumption. Throughout the day, vendors, artists and musicians promoted circular fashion and culminated a runway show.
As the clock ticked closer to the show’s start time, audience members filed into SCD. People filled almost every seat, and rows of onlookers stood behind the seating section to catch a glimpse of the show.
Each seat had a QR code that linked to a petition for fossil free investments which encourages the University’s divestment from fossil fuels.
As the music began, the audience’s chatter died down and they craned their necks to watch the introduction of CFE’s executive board. Each board member sported a unique look complete with a distinct walk.
After the board’s introduction, Students for Environmental Concerns members Ruhi Haryadi and Joya Weissman spoke on behalf of their environmental activism organization.
They introduced the theme of surrealism and urged audience members to consider how fashion influences or changes their relationship with the earth. Additionally, the duo implored audience members and students to sign the petition for divestment, stating that “our tuition funds the climate crisis.”
“The University needs to know that we as students have a voice and that we overwhelmingly support the divestment, and they need to take us seriously because this is our future,” Weissman said.
After their brief speech, the first exposition commenced.
The show opened with models acting as paparazzi chasing another model down the runway. In an abrupt and alarming turn of events, the paparazzi pivoted to the audience and started taking photos of the them.
Following an interlude, the next runway, “Beacon of Madness,” was introduced.
Models walked in duos to the beat of the music and showcased their unique looks. One of the most notable duos featured a model who tied balloons to his shoulders while his partner sported a lampshade as a hat.
Up next was the audience choice awards exposition. CFE invited audience members to vote on their favorite look.
One of the looks audience members could vote on was “All Eyes on Me” by Josie Liu and modeled by Patricia Miszczak. It featured eyes on both the bodice of a dress and drawn onto two white balloons floating above Miszczak’s head.
Another look was “The Persistence of Time and Regret” by Studio Endo and modeled by Eva Grein. The look featured a red trench coat, a pocket watch and a bird cage encircling Grein’s head.
Other options included Liu’s “Tapped Out” and “The Ugly Duckling,” Ragi Vyas’s “The Untold,” Kimberly and Jolene Blodgett’s “Apples & Oranges,” Charlie Figiel’s “Aimless Form” and Zoe De La Paz’s “Ixmucane.”
The next runway, “To Play a Pawn,” opened with an audio of a robotic voice stating that “the game begins.” William Hohe designed this runway.
Each model strutted across the platform showing off their looks. One model wore a black dress adorned with feathers while another wore a dress made of torn-apart black garbage bags.
Audience member Nyah Eady, senior in ACES, expressed her admiration for the materials used in the looks.
“You’re used to seeing the regular dress-up on a runway, but the fact that they made them out of such unique materials was really awesome,” Eady said.
The two models then circled each other in choreography that embodied the movements of a duel or face-off.
Following the duel, Dressember, an anti-human trafficking organization, began their exposition titled “Into the Night.”
The models showed off celestial looks featuring stars, moons and suns with a color scheme of blues, blacks, whites and grays. They followed simple but powerful choreography and gave the audience ample time to observe each look.
“I think I was expecting more of it just to be people walking and less performative, and I enjoyed that it was,” said audience member Shruti Mallik, sophomore in AHS.
The Fashion Network’s exposition ended the show with a bang.
General members walked out and posed in a line on the runway titled “The Fates & Cosmos.” The models followed choreography that artfully showcased their creativity.
To wrap up TFN’s runway, the TFN executive board performed the “Descent of the Forest” runway. This featured feathered outfits and birds chirping in the background.
As the show concluded, the audience applauded and SCD exploded with conversation and music. Audience members and models milled around the space taking photos and congratulating each other for the performance.
The work that each person contributed to the production and execution of CFE left audience members feeling inspired.
“It’s not just for fashion majors, it’s for everybody to see and it’s art,” Eady said. “And who doesn’t like art?”
Weissman shared her hopes of what the audience took away from the show in terms of sustainability.
“I think if people earnestly hear our message and are open to learning more about divestment and learning more about how we as students, as stakeholders of the University, can build a better future together with our thoughts and our actions,” Weissman said. “I would hope that people would start to participate more in our movement and help us build this together.”
fabbott2@dailyillini.com
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