CREDIT: BROOK IDEN (ALL PHOTOS IN THIS ARTICLE)
Students from Fanshawe's merchandising (marketing and management) program along with a number of other programs put on quite the evening with their Fashion Rewind show on March 29. Proceeds from the evening which also included a silent auction, paintings, displays and food and drinks, went to the Children's Health Foundation.

Fanshawe fashion merchandising (marketing and management) students, unveiled a number of creative creations during their end of year show, Fashion Rewind at London Music Hall on March 29.

The event was run by the second year fashion merchandising students while first year students made the garments featured on the runway.

Not only was the show a way for the department and other programs to showcase and reflect on the evolution of fashion over the past 50 years, but it was a celebration of the college’s 50th anniversary and was a way to support the community.





Proceeds from the evening went towards the Children’s Health Foundation, while some went back to the fashion department.

On top of the fashion show, a silent auction and treat and drink table, that included a themed “Retro 50” drink, were on hand.

Arts pieces of different classic films from the decades were created by students and also up for sale.



With a packed house, the audience had their eyes glued to the runway which included 24 main fashion pieces, 9 children pieces modelled by child ambassadors from the Children’s Health Foundation and roughly 9 accessory numbers created by design foundations students.

These accessories were also inspired by different eras from the past 50 years, including handbags, scarves, leg warmers, jewelry and a bathing cap.

Visual models of the garments and accessories and their inspiration were also on display.





Outfits and accessories were judge by three members of the Fanshawe community and have ties with the School of Design and the college’s fashion departments.

Students were inspired to create the ‘wearable art’ pieces, made from recyclable materials from a number of TV, movie, music and pop culture references throughout the decades, which was also made visible by the clips and images of a number of references playing on a large screen before each segment of the show began.

Boy Meets World, Happy Days, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Back to the Future, furbies, slap sticks, Twiggy among many others were on display. The Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, George Michael, Michael Jackson, the Beatles, the Bee Gees, Rick Springfield, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell were among some of the artists that could be heard throughout the venue.



The students worked on a number of different aspects of the show, including stage, advertising and promotion and a merchandising and model committee for roughly three months.

The garments, which were made from a number of recyclable materials, ranged from simple yet elegant to more exquisite and large garments.



Anywhere from cans of pop, bottle caps, Polaroids, zip block bags, feathers, fake flowers, paper, spoons, loofahs, magazines, a deck of cards, sparkle and glitter, string, denim and an abundance of fabrics, among other supplies could be seen on a number models.

All of the outfits looked as if they could be displayed in a museum.



At one point, a large pretty in pink princess themed dress hit the stage, and pant and tank top ‘70s style ensemble covered in CDs graced the stage.

Hair and makeup were done by representatives from Fanshawe’s Woodstock campus and matched the decade and outfits that came down the runway.

Erika McCall and Carina Moreira, both second year fashion merchandising, marketing and management students, were part of the advertising and promotions team for the event and had positive feedback of the night.

“It went really well, I think it was a success. The garments looked amazing and I think everyone had a good time,” McCall said.

Though the day may have been stressful with last minute preparations and such, McCall, who was the co-ordinator of the advertising promotions team, was pleased with how the event went



“My favourite part was just seeing the winners and seeing how happy they were. [Also] seeing how surprised everyone was by the outfits and how creative they were,” McCall said.

Though Moreira, an exchange student from Brazil, previously worked on fashion related events, this was her first Fanshawe show.

 “I think it went awesome. Everything worked out, everything was in the right place. The models were great, the designs were fantastic so I think it was a really great show. It was an amazing experience,” Moreira said.



Keeley Howell, who along with her teammates Natalie Bortz and Poppi Guinyou-Savage, won second place for the evening with their ‘60s inspired dress.

“I’m so happy with all the winners, they all deserved it. It was awesome,” Howell said. “It went so good. It was a beautiful venue, beautiful everything, the lights were great the models were great [and the] outfits were great.”

 Linda Jenken, professor of the program and co-ordinator of the event was also glad with how the process of the night all came about and was executed.

“It went really well, I was really pleased with the students, they worked hard. All the committees worked very hard and all of the programs that we’re involved in the show all were there preparing and there’s just a lot of people to orchestrate but everyone worked well. Roles and responsibilities were fulfilled. ” Jenken said

For Jenken, a highlight for her was seeing and hearing the stories of the child ambassadors from the Children’s Health Foundation, because ultimately the show is not only a chance for students to display their work, but also help the community.

According to Jenken, the students were previously explained workings of the foundation, but it doesn’t compare to hearing and seeing it in person. 



“When you actually hear from a parent that’s been through it along with their child, that really kind of brings it [together about] why we’re doing it all,” Jenken said.

Jenken, pointed out that the program has not only been putting on shows for many years, but has been giving back to community for just as long. The shows put on by Jenken and her class alone have raised over $50,000 for a number of charities, while other shows in the program have raised roughly over $100,000 for the community.