A Recap of USC FIA’s 15th Annual Fashion Show: Made in LA
By: Karla Leung ‘22
All photographs by Sarah Shen
Fashion Industry Association, most often abbreviated as FIA, is a Marshall School of Business based club and is the only fashion focused club on USC’s campus. Hosting a fashion show for the past fifteen years, this year’s theme was Made in LA, meaning every brand and designer featured is based and made in Los Angeles. Not only is it supporting local brands (including USC student designers), but also ensuring that the clothing is ethically sourced. Los Angeles is known for being one of the fashion capitals of the world for its innovation and fashion startups, and the USC fashion show highlighted some of the great talent coming out of LA.
Designers Featured
Par en Par
The first on the runway was Par en Par, a shortened translation of “doors wide open” in Spanish. The main focus of Par en Par is “balancing elegance with ease and durability with lightness”. Each piece, although minimalist, clearly exemplified elegance and breathability. Although it was clearly a vastly different look from the other featured designers, it was a sophisticated way to open the fashion show.
Llykee Wulf
Founded by Jenna Swatek, who was born in England, grew up in Denmark, and now lives in California combines these three distinct styles and cultures to create Llykee Wulf. The brand creates a “classic yet original, utilitarian yet fabulous, androgynous but also wildly sexy” look for women. Additionally, the brand emphasizes environmental awareness through its promotion of timeless and classic staple pieces.
Curious Tristan
Each piece is a vintage piece that has been redesigned, painted, cut, and sewed; Curious Tristan is truly one-of-a-kind. Designed by USC design major and brother of Sigma Chi, Tristan Detwiler, his brand is entirely his own work. The runway showcased his dutifully hand-made reworks and personalized twist.
Marisnotreal
When the first model stepped on stage, Marisnotreal created an entirely different mood. The pieces were edgy: ripped, dyed, painted, and slashed. There’s little background information on Marisnotreal as a brand, which only adds to how provocative their pieces.
EB Denim
An innovative and unique take on denim, these are no classic Levis. EB Denim was started by USC sophomore Elena Bonvicni and specifically focuses on reinventing and reworking Levis 501s. Each pair of jeans require a second look to notice the intricacies and attention to detail. My personal favorite was the Original Two Toned 501s, which are almost an optical illusion with the uneven back pockets and raised hip.
YTG
One of the highlights of the show was Y.T.G., founded by Yitai Geng only a few years ago and has quickly blown up. The brand focuses on blending high fashion with streetwear with an emphasis on unique patterns, diverse textures, and exceptional comfort. USC rapper 24kGoldn modeled Y.T.G.’s Colorblock Corduroy Blouson Jacket, which was also recently worn by Justin Timberlake.
In review, the fashion show was a fantastic way to not only highlight USC’s talent but to remind us of the originality and innovation that is coming out of Los Angeles. I look forward to seeing FIA’s next fashion shows in the coming years and learning more about LA’s fashion and culture.
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