A ‘Catalyst’ for Fashion

By Leila Ugincius

In scientific terms, a catalyst is a substance that causes or speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction. But the word took on a different meaning for Virginia Commonwealth University fashion students this week. 

"When I first think of the word 'catalyst,' I think of an idea exploding," said junior Madalyn Denny, whose designs were included in the Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising's annual juried fashion show at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on Sunday. The show featured more than 100 of the top garments created by upperclassmen, as chosen by a panel of esteemed industry critics. For the first time, the department, which is part of the VCU School of the Arts, hosted two shows to accommodate the heavy demand for tickets.

Denny, who had designs in the show for the first time, was excited by the "Catalyst" theme.

"I think it completely fits this year's show and designs," she said. "Our department is always growing and was changing a lot, this year especially. I think everything on the runway reflected our department's talent, determination and specifically our potential. We're all excited to start new things and see how that expands into bigger and bigger things."

Students spend months preparing for the show, from planning and designing to creating their garments. 

"When I initially start designing, I'm usually looking to create something that's wearable and reflects my own style but has something unique to it," Denny said. "I love incorporating small details into my work and giving my look something new or fun."

Preparation started in January when the students began developing their themes, sketching and designing. Next came narrowing down the designs and choosing colors and fabrics. Finally they made patterns. 

"After this is when we can finally begin cutting the actual fabric, at which point there's about three weeks left until the juried show," Denny said. 

Denny created garments for three different segments in the show: denim sportswear, daydresses and knits. 

"For sportswear I designed a look that included green eco denim straight leg jeans with top stitching details on the side seams, a white and pink knit top and a dark gray denim jacket with pink piping details on the seams,” she said. "For daydresses I designed a black cotton dress with white and green ruffles down the front. For knits I designed a long black jersey knit jumpsuit with a hole around the belly button and a white and gray cardigan. They were all designed specifically for the show and to match the segment theme."

Graduating senior Grace Hazelgrove's designs had a completely different look, inspired by a semester spent abroad in Guinea in the fall. 

"I had the truly unique opportunity to study fashion and live in that culture," Hazelgrove said. "I worked with a tailor and learned lots of new techniques and just fell in love with West African fashion. So when I returned, I wanted to capture my experience and really represent it in my collection. All my print fabrics are directly from Guinea that I bought in the markets out there. I wanted the prints to really be the strong part of the garment and really focus on them." 

The fabric was the key to Hazelgrove's collection, while the styles were secondary. 

"My inspiration in the styles and cuts of the garments was to transform the historic and traditional West African prints into something modern and contemporary that any woman would want," she said. "So my final collection is a representation of a beautiful experience I had and my love of fashion all blended together for a West African look with an American designer twist."

For Hazelgrove, who plans to move to New York after graduation – "fashion  is tough and the best way to make it work and get yourself out there, is to be there," she said – this year's catalyst theme had quite an impact on her and her fellow designers. 

"Catalyst is really an agent of change and the jump-starter for something new, which is the exact point I feel the senior designers and myself are at," she said. "We created these collections to showcase ourselves as a designer and really put ourselves out there in the fashion industry. Our collection is the catalyst for our careers and I really feel it fits well for my own collection and helping me to figure out who I am as a designer." 

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