Through the crafty design creativity of ‘off-duty’ students—textures, colors, and fabric coalesced into a DIY fashion parade that animated the annual SERVitecture Fashion Schau runway. Sartorial confections—which ranged from interplanetary explorations to hybridized couture—challenged norms of chic outerwear by reinterpreting movement and bodily space through repurposed and unconventional materials, along with cheeky nods to maquillage.

Now in its twelfth year, SERVitecture’s Fashion Schau: ALTER(EGO) raised $1,500 for Dress for Success Columbus, the local chapter of a national non-profit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and career development tools.

“The jurors were blown away by the invention, labor, and cleverness of the students,” said twelve-time juror and Professor of Architecture Jacquelyn Gargus. “The designers did a great job and the models really stepped up into this great theatrical performance. I don't think we have ever seen models before who got so fully into the spirit of acting the costume.”

This year’s conceptual driver was the theme of “alter ego,” which encouraged innovative fashion duplicities with a twist. Costumes through the evening explored the idea of alternate versions—pulling figurative seams in resolving and competing directions to question the notion of being ‘dressed’ as a function of autonomy and/or social signaling.

Of note, the design team of undergraduate architecture students Jake Bibbo and Laiq Gitosuputro modeled anonymizing black robes and decorative, geometrically-dissimilar masks to question the duality of one’s identity. Designer Rylie Gates and model Iris Shipley transformed recycled cardboard, popsicle sticks, and stray embroidery floss into shiny materials, colorful ombres, and tie-dyed laces to suggest dissonances between interiority and public facade.

“We were incredibly impressed by the craft, the tailoring, the style, and the effort!” exclaimed Gargus as she announced the winning designs of Scarlett Yu. “Making one costume is really hard: making five beautiful costumes is almost unthinkable. But look how wonderfully they all go together.”

With an aspirational eye for fashion, Yu entered the schau as a student from Olentangy Liberty High School, having served as a volunteer at last year’s schau event. This year’s audience hitched a ride through Yu’s celestial zeitgeist of supernova fashion that accentuated evening-out elegance through blurred distinctions of skirt/top and evening gown typologies. Sharp silhouettes landed on the catwalk with their glamour intact, achieved by crafting her assemblage of five dresses with bright-colored duct tape that produced a glossy “Take Me to Your Leader” aesthetic highlighted by contrasting sci-fi silver accents. Yu complemented her Space-Age formalwear with metallic-toned neck cuffs and a flourish of pearls that dotted her model’s faces.

“I chose to interpret the theme ‘alter ego’ with a supernatural twist. I wanted to play around with how people imagined the future: flying cars roaming the sky and robots operating the world,” said Yu. “To capture this concept, my collection deconstructs conventional human forms and reimagines them as alien, yet cyber-like reflections of humanity, emphasizing a new identity or ‘alter ego.’”

Awards

1st Place
Designer: Scarlett Yu
Models: Ellie Meek, Allison Ho, Wrena Wilcox, Samadhi Liyanapathirana, Elizabeth Szeto

2nd Place
Designer: Olivia Jackson
Models: Elyse Jackson, Narges Eghlidos, Angela Evans

3rd Place
Designer: Jake Bibbo and Laiq Gitosuputro
Models: Jake Bibbo, Laiq Gitosuputro

People’s Choice
Designer: Scarlett Yu
Models: Ellie Meek, Allison Ho, Wrena Wilcox, Samadhi Liyanapathirana, Elizabeth Szeto

Faculty Jury
Jackie Gargus
Alex Oetzel
Karla Trott

SERVitecture Fashion Schau ’24 Committee
Lindsay James, Servitecture President
 

Housed in the Knowlton School, SERVitecture is a student organization that promotes volunteerism among Ohio State students, regardless of academic major. Providing students with volunteer opportunities, SERVitecture sponsors a number of charitable activities in addition to the annual Fashion Schau.