It’s that time of year when the SCAD School of Fashion turns into the college version of Netflix’s “Next in Fashion,” and this time, their peers had a front-row seat. The SCAD fashion jury is fascinating for both its high stakes and its professional-level treatment. “Jury weekend” starts with a showcase on Thursday night, and then the runway show in Arnold Hall on Friday and Saturday. The jury was comprised of 30 industry professionals that explored all of the seniors’ collections to decide which looks would make it into the exclusive fashion show lineup at the end of the quarter.
My weather-worn SCAD ID got me past the security guard at Arnold Hall, but the creative director of Tibi behind me didn’t have such luck. After a long day of homework and coffee in the library, I sat down in my high school-era T-shirt, old running shorts and worn-out yellow Nikes to watch the showcase. When I quickly realized that I was breathing the same air as Christopher John Rogers, I suddenly felt vastly underdressed.
Sitting in the balcony, I realized that maybe artists are the only people in the world who matter. I’m kidding, of course, because somebody has to keep the logistical cogs of society turning, but I did have a distinct feeling that whatever was happening in that room felt genuinely important. Artists were wholeheartedly cheering in support of each other, industry professionals were scouting for the next young talent, and I, an unassuming photography major, was judging every look like I was Anna Wintour.
The collections themselves were awe-inspiring. Having little fashion expertise beyond my (obviously correct) Met Gala judgments, I was in shock at just how intentional, beautiful, and skillful all of the creations were. With over 150 collections of four complete looks, we watched at least 600 looks cross the stage. There was everything from Swarovski crystals and scandalously short shorts to a large bird’s nest adorning the neckline of a ball gown.
Senior designers’ ideation for their collections started last summer when they began brainstorming and sourcing concepts, materials, and intentions. Then they worked across all three quarters of this school year to design, develop, and manufacture their collection of five looks, which then gets cut to four for the jury show.
While jury is always the biggest weekend of the quarter for the fashion department, this year the stakes were different. It was the first time that the showcase and jury show were open to the public, so the designers had the opportunity to connect with their peers and professors, as well as the visiting industry professionals.
Senior fashion designer Jessy Zimmer’s collection, “Fox Hunt Pageant,” was one of those walking the stage, but for her, the jury show was the easy part. She said that because the showcase was open to non-jury members, “I was able to gauge what garments they were interested in looking at, what they were pulling first and what part of my pitch I could say that they seemed the most interested in or was easiest to understand.” The three-hour exhibition format created a more relaxed and personal environment than the high-pressure format of previous years.
With around 160 fashion design seniors in Savannah and only 47 spots for designers in the annual fashion show, the limited spots encourage students to enjoy the rest of the process outside of the show. While Zimmer had her eyes set on getting into the show, she worked intentionally to make sure that the rest of the process had moments of celebration. The multiple days of her collection’s film and photo shoots were some of those moments in which she made sure to soak it all in, saying “it’s one thing for your collection to be a part of an hour-long show that is streamed on YouTube, but it’s another thing to get back a 45-second film that’s just about me and my collection, and all these photos that are really capturing the work I spent an entire year doing.”
For Zimmer, her dream of getting into the SCAD Fashion Show started in high school as she watched past years’ shows on YouTube. She said being a part of this showcase is both a dream come true and a signal of what’s next, as her involvement in the fashion industry is just beginning. After graduation she will move to Philadelphia to begin an internship for Anthropologie, where she’ll be working in print and pattern design.
Watching my classmates walk across the stage in some of the best garments SCAD has to offer, I started thinking about my own field of photography. Sometimes the majors at art school can feel very disparate, when students studying metal working, 2D animation, and live performance all coexist under the same umbrella of a “creative career.” It can be hard to see the connection between these disciplines, especially when artistic collaboration is time intensive and it can often feel easier to just hone in on your own craft.
But when it comes down to being a part of an artistic world, what’s the point if not to learn about all types of art? Perfecting our own skill set and portfolio is essential, but so is exposing yourself to as many different mediums and perspectives as possible, and where better to do that than at art and design school?
Despite having little to no knowledge about pattern making for fashion, watching this fashion showcase helped me to appreciate all the details and intention that go into every single garment. If there’s one thing I took away from watching the fashion jury, it’s that artistic collaboration and exploration are the most direct path to creative growth.
