CREDIT: ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF MOUDY DAVID
Students from Fanshawe’s fashion marketing and management program presented an “out of this world” experience with their Galactic Gala on Nov.17.

Students from Fanshawe's fashion marketing and management program transported Londoners to another world, with their Galactic Gala fashion show on Nov.17.

The show, which just celebrated its 10th year, was a partnership between the college, Goodwill Industries and My Sister's Place, a program which is part of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Middlesex location.

The main focus of proceeds went towards My Sister's Place's Micro Enterprise program, which allows the women in the program to deconstruct and reconstruct donated jewelry, along with gaining entrepreneurial skills, among others.

First year students revamped the clothing, which was all donated by Goodwill, while the show itself was run by the second years. First year students from the fashion marketing and management program also volunteered, while students from the culinary department, technical theatre production and broadcast program among others were there to bring the show to life.

The event, held at the Goodwill on Horton Street, was transformed into a futuristic galaxy, with blue, silver, white and purple being the main colours. Glitter was also a key element of the show.

White constructed crystals acted as pillars, the walls included galaxy themed painting, created by fine art students and were up for auction, and a live auction also took place.

In a separate room, jewelry and other goods were up for auction, and a photo option with props was set up.

Food and drinks were also on hand, while the night was booming with both men and women and some children.

The main attraction of the night, the fashion show, featured funky, unique and eclectic outfits that students began working on in their fourth week of classes after being given the basic principles of design, according to Deb Trotechaud, a professor of the fashion marketing and management program, who also helped co-ordinate the event.

Through her design principles class, students were given the assignments to create and revamp the garment, using the elements and principles of design.

Three judges were on hand to present the best looks of the night.

The show, split up into two halves, included music to fit the theme, starting off with a version of David Bowie's “Space Oddity”.

Models strutted up, down and around the runway, wearing creations that caught the attention of the audience.

The creations included, but were not limited to, jumpsuits, dresses, skirts, tops embellished with shoulder pads, lace and shredded silver to give the look of astronauts, or galactic kings and queens. One garment resembled the Disney villain Maleficent, while drapery and caps were a hit as well.





Heels and hair accessories were popular, with some including headpieces draped over space buns, à la Princess Leia look.

Though pieces were to reflect the future, there was a hint of modernity, including a number of garments that featured crop tops and bodice-type tops on dresses, and one all white outfit that included pants, a turtleneck and poncho.







Many dresses were present, including a revamped wedding dress, while another was a white strapless dress with a bodice top and sweetheart neckline that included pink and blue material incorporated into the bottom half of the dress. The latter, won first place.





Another dress was thin strapped, light pink and blue with sparkles mixed in, with what looked like aluminum foil along the bottom of the dress.

The faces of each model were also painted with some blue and purple with sparkles on the side of their eyes, or around the eye itself.

Wendy Sperry, instructor of the fashion marketing and management program, as well as the co-ordinator of the event, was pleased with how the night turned out.

“I think it was an out of this world experience. It was a great [and] wonderful night,” Sperry said.

Sperry said she had a fabulous group of students who worked hard to create an amazing show.

Jenna Courtemanche, who attended the program's fashion show in the past, was excited to be back for the 10th anniversary.

 “It's out of this world, it's living up to its theme and very compelling,” Courtemanche said.

Courtemanche came out to the event to support My Sister's Place, as she believes in the peer support the program offers.

“The personal stories of lived experiences and how the Micro Enterprise [program] changes lives, is very inspiring,” she said.

First year students Natalie Bortz, who was another one of the winners of the night with teammate Lauren Bertand, created one of the more literal space-themed outfits, with a futuristic purple and silver astronaut look.

“Ours was a bit of a process; we made a full piece, but we were planning on doing it by scratch and that took time, and things didn't go as planned so we had to go with plan B.”

Bortz said the team wanted to include an accessory, which is why they created a helmet.

“[It] took a lot of time, but it was so worth it, I think that really amped it up. We got inspiration from shoulder pieces, which was also fun to do and I think helped bring in the theme. It took a lot [of time], but it was worth it,” Bortz said.



Trotechaud said the whole process of the show is a good learning experience for the students, especially for the first years, who will run the show next year.

“Not only does it teach them about the elements and principles of design, following a theme, sustainability but also time management and it's a lot of work for them, there's no doubt, and I did push them,” Trotechaud said. “I feel like once it's on the stage and it's for My Sister's Place which is an amazing cause, it all comes together.”

First year student and designer Keeley Powell said she thought the evening went smoothly.

“I think the evening went as planned, I think the second years agreed [and] I think the audience had a really good time,”

Howell said. Both she and Poppi Savage worked as a team to revamp the wedding dress.

“We got a very old vintage wedding dress that probably not a lot of people would wear, and we completely deconstructed it, and made it entirely different,” Howell said.



Savage said the two were able to turn the ‘80s dress into something futuristic, but with a lot of time and help from Trotechaud, they were able to complete it.

“We definitely got stuck at some points, and it involved a lot more work than we anticipated,” Savage said.

Overall, the night was surely one that gave the audience a glance into what the future of fashion might look like.