SCAD Fashion Show expands to FASHWKND

As SCAD’s annual fashion show gets closer, you can expect major changes to come.

After weeks of speculation on the venue of this year’s show, SCAD confirmed that on Friday, May 19, the fashion show will begin at 7 p.m. in the Museum of Art, instead of the Trustees Theater, last year’s venue.

Second-year Fashion Marketing major Rachel Murray, a current fit model for the SCAD Fashion Show, “had no clue it was [moving] to the museum” but is excited about the news. “The theater was way too crowded and rehearsals were a mess last year,” she says. “I can’t wait for the venue change.”

But the venue is not the only change.

The event that typically lasts for one night is now extended to an entire weekend. SCAD FASHWKND will be a four-day event presenting the university’s talented senior fashion, jewelry, and accessory designers in Savannah and Atlanta from Thursday, May 18 through Sunday, May 21.

Murray said, “I think the decision to occupy the entire weekend with the show is very smart…more people will have a window of opportunity to go see it. It’s always the best time of the year and I can’t wait to be a part of it this year.”

Savannah’s fashion seniors will have a runway presentation of their three-look collections in the MOA, much like the 2015 fashion show, while Atlanta’s design students will have a showcase on Sunday, May 21 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The annual Static Show will happen in its usual location of the Gutstein Gallery on May 18, with a corresponding jewelry show next door in the Jen Library.

When asked about the move from Trustees to the MoA, senior fashion design student Alex Pijut said, “I’m excited about [the] venue change and [that it] hopefully lets people get a more personal look at the details of the garments and how they move.”

This transition from a single, combined showcase of Atlanta, Savannah, and Hong Kong designers to a weekend event correspond with the fashion industry’s most recent experimentation with the fashion calendar.

Some luxury labels, like New York’s Proenza Schouler and London’s Burberry, are rebelling against the traditional fashion calendar for what works best with their business structure. Although a brand and a university are two different entities, in theory, this experiment comes at a convenient time for SCAD to present themselves as an innovator for design universities and their fashion shows.

SCAD’s expansion from one night to a weekend of fashion is an experiment that will hopefully be successful in giving students, designers, and audiences a greater opportunity to explore fashion.

For more information on FASHWKND and ticket prices, click here or visit SCAD events page.