Students, faculty and alumni from Kent State University’s world-renowned School of Fashion will be sending some of their most exciting designs down the runway on Feb. 8 in Haute for the House, a fashion show to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Ohio.
The fashion school is partnering with the nonprofit for a fashion show that will be curated and produced by Kent State students, faculty and staff.
Hillary Stone, professor, industry liaison and internship director for the fashion school, and Millicent Ott, industry liaison and internship manager for the school, are working with the Ronald McDonald House Charities on the event.
Stone emphasized how the entire school is involved in the production.
“That is the beauty of what we have done,” Stone said. “We have everyone working together. It takes a village to produce a fashion show. I’m so grateful for the faculty, the students and everyone who is collaborating.”
Trista Grieder, senior lecturer and study-away coordinator for the fashion school, was part of the driving force behind getting Kent State and the Ronald McDonald House Charities together for the event.
Grieder is friends with Aristea Tzouloufis, chief development officer for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Ohio, who previously had worked for Kent State’s School of Fashion.
“Aristea had asked us to show some pieces in the show last year, and then as we were talking and brainstorming, I suggested that she do a Kent State-only show of our students’ and faculty’s work because that was something you can’t see anywhere else,” Grieder said.
Stone said the students have been particularly excited to take part in the event, and one student even made sure her garment was submitted before she left in December because she is studying in Paris this semester.
“We’re also teaching the students stewardship, and I think that’s important to have a show of gratitude and giving, and making a difference for children and their families,” Stone said.
Student Producers
Daniella Byrnes and Mackenzie Karsten, both senior fashion merchandising majors, were selected as the student producers for the show. The pair also are the student producers for the school’s annual fashion show, which takes place on April 27.
Byrnes said the show is exciting because all students were permitted to submit work to be considered for the event.
“This show is not just limited to senior design students, so it will be a really great representation of our student body and how talented they are,” she said. “It’s very exciting to be able to work with an external corporation.”
Karsten, who also works for the Kent State Women’s Center, said the show brings together some of her favorite things: nonprofit work, event planning and fashion.
“Dani and I are a great team, and to be able to work a charity event together is even more special,” Karsten said.
As part of the planning, the pair took part in a recent model call, where many students from the fashion school tried out to be models for the show.
As student producers, Brynes and Karsten’s duties will include selecting the models, pairing them with the garments, determining the order of the show, putting together a slideshow to accompany the models and working on the music and choreography.
Fashion Faculty on Display
Several fashion school faculty members also will have their work on display at the Cleveland event.
Grieder, who specializes in costumes, will have on display a historical jade green gown, which she created for novelist Diana Dempsey, who wanted a dress created to match one worn by the heroine in her novel “The Unstoppable Eliza Haycraft.”
Read more about the creation of the jade gown.
Krissi Riewe-Stevenson, assistant professor of fashion, will display a dress made entirely from scraps, recycled materials and leftover fabrics that no one wanted to use. Riewe-Stevenson named the garment “Recycled Garden;” it features a tailored jacket with brocade flowers that gives way to a full skirt.
“One of the things it has on it is what is called ‘mill ends.’ When a fabric is being woven on the edges, they cut it off where it is attached to the loom, so it looks like fringe,” Riewe-Stevenson said. “I acquired a bunch of it, and it was just so pretty, that fringy look. But it is actually the waste from the weaving process, so trying to reuse that.”
Other fashion faculty members whose work will be displayed are Associate Professor Vince Quevedo; Associate Professor Sue Yoder; Kim Hahn, Ph.D., interim associate dean of the College of the Arts; and lecturer David Hahn.
Also featured will be the work of 2023 Kent State School of Fashion graduate Wendy Weng, who was Kent State’s representative to the Supima Design Competition in New York in September 2023. Weng’s collection was inspired by nature and its ability to destroy and regenerate life.
Students Looking Ahead
There is still much ahead for the producing duo of Karsten and Byrnes this semester, but they also have begun to think about their plans for after graduation.
Karsten hopes to land a job with a nonprofit within the fashion industry, perhaps dealing with garment worker rights or sustainability, which is her minor. Byrnes is hoping for a job in product development and expects to look for employment in New York, although her dream job would be working in London.
The pair spent the 2023 Fall Semester studying abroad at Kent State Florence in Italy, from where they took several side trips, including London, which Byrne particularly enjoyed.
Byrnes, from Los Angeles, California, initially heard about Kent State from one of her mother’s colleagues, whose daughter had attended the school.
“She loved it, and it seemed like the right place to go. So far, I have been extremely happy,” said Byrnes, who transferred to Kent State for her sophomore year from the University of Central Florida. “I always wanted to pursue fashion. It’s something I’ve been passionate about my entire life.”
Karsten, from Clarkston, Michigan, said she investigated the country for the best fashion schools when deciding on where to attend college, and Kent State was near the top of that list.
“When I visited Kent State, I just knew this was the place,” she said. “I love the small-town aspect of it, but it also offers all the opportunities of studying abroad and studying away.”
Event Details
Haute for the House is Feb. 8 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the InterContinental Hotel Cleveland at 9801 Carnegie Ave. on the Cleveland Clinic campus. Tickets, which are $175 for general admission and $250 for a VIP Experience, are available at www.rmhcneo.org/haute-for-the-house.
Attendees will also enjoy voting for their favorite designs, granting one deserving Kent State fashion design student a $1,000 scholarship for their winning look.
The event benefits Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Ohio, a local nonprofit inspiring hope when and where families need it most. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Ohio enhances the healthcare experience for families and children through comfort, care and supportive services. Ronald McDonald House and hospital Family Room programs help families stay near the care their sick or injured children need.
