Designer Daniela Garcia (right) of Des Moines assists model Kat Rieger of Clive with some last minute modifications during the Fourth Annual Mixed Messages Fashion Gala. This design was called, “Summer to Fall.” Photo courtesy Dan Ivis.
Reviewing the fourth annual Mixed Messages DMACC Fashion Gala
On Friday April 13, the DMACC fashion program hosted their fourth annual “Mixed Messages” fashion gala.
The show was a presentation of the clothing students created during the last semester.
The gala, which started for VIP’s at 5 p.m. and went until 10 p.m. was held in the Big Room at Mainframe Studios in Downtown Des Moines. The space was an expansive, light-filled industrial environment which was a perfect backdrop for the unique clothing.
Fatima Ahmed and Dajuan Kinney did a wonderful job of directing an exciting production which included a fun downtown location, welcoming hospitality, special lighting, upbeat background music, as well as good flow for design presentations.
Model Tiffany Liechty (right) of Ankeny models “The Water Cycle” with designer Jentri Hullinger of Ankeny at the Fashion Gala. Photo courtesy Dan Ivis.
The cast of student designers included men and women, each with strong ideas, transformed their designs using unconventional materials, from inspiration to final product, with a lot of creativity and panache!
The challenge for each designer was to have their model present their design, which was often delicate and perhaps even fragile with some sparkle.
Throughout the evening there was a lot of talent represented, and each and every designer was willing to share with me how their creations evolved. Original creations ran from actual deer antlers as a headdress to a Marie Antoinette hairstyle to complete their outfits.
The designs were judged and awards were presented. Following are categories and the award winners:
Fashion Innovation Award – Winner: Life to Death (Hannah Degner, Brody Griffin, & Tyler Busse)
Style & Presentation Award – Winner: Lyrictech (Melisa Nouchanthavong, Megan Ruths, Taylor Venteicher, and Abby Wittrock)
Best Use of Materials – Winner: From Pollen to you Honey ( Keely Fisher and Riley Keith)
Best Creative Interpretation – Winner: Print to Social Media ( Morgan Brumfield-Beemer, Easton Brunner, Elise Campbell, Meredith Morgan, Zach Paustian, Conner Rittenhouse)
In closing, I went not knowing what to expect but was surprisingly pleased at how much I enjoyed myself. The event was fun, it was lively, the designs were really creative and well made and the whole evening was professionally done. Bravo!
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