Fashion-design students at UH to market creations at Macy's

By Paula Rath
Advertiser staff writer

Bow-Dacious: Arynn Nagahiro models a blouse-skirt outfit by Tylor Tengelsen featuring a bow design on the blouse that meets a cinch bow on the skirt. Photos by Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Strapped in: Sherry Serranol models a dress designed by Kelly Mammael. Straps are featured on the bodice and connect garters down to the sandals.

Hands on: Jennifer Woo models a shirt and pants outfit designed by Michael Paul, featuring handprints on the pockets (see inset). The student designs will be available for show and sale at Macy's during an upcoming fashion show and boutique. 'First Date' Presented by University of Hawai'i-Manoa design lab students and Macy's Ala Moana Fashion show: 1 p.m. Saturday, in Island Attitudes, third floor, with emcee Mahealani Richardson of KITV-4 and celebrity models Tannya Boyd of KHON-TV and Liz Chun of KGMB-TV. Boutique and sales: 9:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday in the Special Events Room (opposite the Pineapple Room). Custom orders will be taken by some designers. Informal modeling: 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday

It's all about the real world, though, for University of Hawai'i-Manoa students in Lisa Jensen's spring design lab.

Since the first day in class, they have been working toward a single goal: to show, merchandise and market their designs at Macy's in Ala Moana Center.

It's a first-time collaboration between the mega-retailer and UH. Macy's has offered the students free space, advertising and access to their customers.

The collaboration will culminate in a fashion show and boutique Saturday and Sunday, when student designs will be available for show and sale on the third floor of Macy's.

"What better way to serve our community than to support our students?" said Lavina Wong, Macy's director of special events. "The event affords the students an opportunity to hear invaluable first-hand consumer feedback. It's priceless to hear consumers reacting to what they're doing."

At a dry run of the students' fashion show earlier this month, Wong was impressed with the designs and their presentation. "The collection was creative and imaginative but had broad appeal," Wong said. "It went from the fun and flirty to retro designs imbued with modernism."

Looking on as models wore the student-designed fashions, sophomore designer Michael Paul of Manoa said with pride, "Notice how our models are not all lollipop heads?" (In other words, not stick thin, with heads that therefore looked out of proportion to bodies.) These models, and the clothing designed to fit them, ranged in height from shorter than 5 feet to just under 6 feet, and wore sizes 0 to 20.

While there were, naturally, some far-out fashions, students made clothes that reflect key trends. They included plenty of color, asymmetrical hems, deconstruction, a return to tie-dye and retro '50s looks.

Taylor Tengelsen of Mo'ili'ili, a junior, spearheaded the student show. It's themed "First Date," she explained, because it allows for everything from sarongs at the beach to diva dresses for a night of clubbing: "This show really enabled us to express ourselves creatively," she said with a grin.

"It felt good because we could do whatever we wanted," added Bertha Fernandez of Mililani, who has extensive experience in the UH costume department and whose designs incorporated her theatrical background with red-carpet looks.

"In this context, everything is allowed," instructor Jensen explained, "And these students have risen to their own capabilities."

Macy's Wong dubbed the clothes a "mirror reflection of where fashionable youth are today — high energy, confident and comfortable with themselves in their own skins."

She applauded the students' boldness in designing for real people. "They tossed aside some of the stereotypical rules based on size and shape, and celebrated diversity in their models," Wong noted. "It's a refreshing viewpoint and will be nice to share with our customers."

These students are creative, but the course that led to this fashion sale is all about the practical, business, real world side of fashion.

The students began the semester with a wide range of experience. A few freshmen had never threaded a needle or been near a sewing machine. Fernandez provided a crash course in Sewing 101.

Many students enter fashion-design school thinking that all you have to do is create a beautiful sketch and — voila! — it springs off the page. They are clueless about draping, pattern-making and testing, grading, marker-making, cutting, sewing and purchasing fabric and notions wholesale.

"They don't know how their designs will be merchandised, sold or worn," Jensen said.

That's why her first assignment was to research the marketplace to learn more about their target audience, to identify a niche and to fill a puka that exists in the Honolulu retail scene. "You can't just go around designing stuff you think is cute," Jensen said. "Those who didn't spend time and effort learning their target audience will be stuck with a full rack of clothes. Those who 'got it' will never again set scissors to fabric without knowing who their customer is."

When these students graduate, and many of them are underclassmen with a few more years of school ahead of them, "They will be miles ahead of students who haven't had this kind of practical preparation," Jensen said with pride.

The design lab taught them all the steps that go into getting a garment to market. Each of the 13 students designed a line of clothing, came up with a business name, printed business cards and order forms and developed a mailing list.

In addition to Macy's commitment, "First Date" is a collaborative effort involving several university departments as well as community resources.

Radio station KTUH will provide the music. The business school lectured and helped students fill out license forms. The athletic department will provide a mystery bachelor who will be a "first date" for the winner of an auction following the show.

Tao Miller of Body & Soul donated jeans and T-shirts for students to deconstruct or sell as fund raisers. Brad Walker of Kamehameha Garment Co. donated fabrics, while Karen Kamahele of Hilo Hattie found them fabrics and introduced them to a sewing contractor. Peter Gellatly of Network Media gave them free air time on in-room television sets in thousands of Waikiki hotel rooms.

"First Date" will be a swan song for Jensen, who will no longer be teaching at UH-Manoa after this semester. She feels she's leaving a legacy of real-world thinking. "It hasn't been easy, but if we hadn't done it now it never would have happened, because no academic would ever take on a project like this," she said.

Reach Paula Rath at 525-5464 or prath@honoluluadvertiser.com.