How A Group Of New York-Based Students Explored The Possibilities Of What A Fashion Show Can Become
Photo: Alejandro Basalo
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, our world is continuously shifting at a pace we have never experienced. Within fashion specifically, we are seeing innovation like never before and breaking down the core principles that have driven the industry for decades. There’s no denying the unprecedented challenges we have faced. However, for some, these trying times present an opportunity to take back control of the narrative.
Enter the 38 talented student creatives producing The 35th Annual Silver Needle Runway Show, set to launch on May 22nd, 2021. The challenging obstacles from the age of social distancing have ironically ushered their growth and allowed their innovative spirits to flourish as they think outside of the box that once confined their imaginations.
Communications Director, Erica Capobianco explains how “so much of what we knew in the fashion world has been dismantled due to the pandemic. But, truthfully, it has given us the opportunity to pause, reflect, and rethink a quiet antiquated system, and challenge new ways for the industry to work.”
Since its humble beginnings in 1986, The Silver Needle Runway Show has been produced annually by the multi-talented students enrolled in Marist College’s globally renowned fashion program; a fashion show created for the students by the students. This runway show acts as a creative outlet for a variety of students and features the collections of the graduating senior fashion design majors. In it’s 35th year, the Silver Needle Runway is exploring the opportunities that await a new era of fashion and the potential community that can be cultivated around a fashion show, looking far beyond a physical runway presentation.
Luckily for this team, the obstacles brought on by the pandemic are nothing they haven’t experienced before, says Capobianco. “Last year, after we unfortunately had to shut down as a college, we were among the very first to create a virtual fashion presentation in both the scope of fellow fashion institutions as well as the industry.”
However, even with experience, the team continues to adapt on a day-to-day basis. Social Media and Website Marketing Director, Kerry Flynn, explains, “There have been many challenges in trying to plan for both an in-person and virtual show with COVID because the world is constantly changing, meaning we have to constantly pivot and change with it.”
This student-run initiative has been created by the young minds of Marist College’s Fashion Show Production course, a chance for students to explore their creative potential and experience the fast-paced world of runway, from concept to completion. Split into 4 teams, this class includes Communications, Creative, Production, and Branding teams that are comprised of students within the School of Communications and the Arts.
Photo: Alejandro Basalo
Pictured is Digital Media Director, Steven Ciravolo, on the set of SNR35’s promotional video shoot.
While each Fashion Show Member may be assigned teams, these aspiring industry professionals collaborate in more ways than one, crafting a mosaic of innovation and artistry. “This year especially we have been working hard, as directors, to make sure everyone gets the most out of the class and has the opportunity to collaborate across all of our teams,” says Production Director, Kennedi Hudnut.
Branding Director, Victoria Marino, shares, “We consider ourselves a ‘laboratory of innovation’, utilizing multiple media formats from film and photography, design, and writing, as we create something that will have a long lasting effect on the industry and people who view our show.” With a wide array of skill, this team has become trailblazers, paving their own paths in the fashion landscape. Even with an endless amount of Zoom meetings, emails and text messages, this show has brought each of these students closer together, as they remain six feet apart.
“We are producing something that has never been done before in the most elevated way possible. It has become more than just a show,” says Production Director, Elizabeth Knight.
Digital Media Director, Steven Ciravolo, builds on Knight’s point: “We have so much planned to take advantage of this new omni-channel presence, so we are constantly moving from project to project. As a team, we’re always updating, planning and then executing…there is certainly a lot that we do to produce this show as a whole.”
Though this year has presented merciless hurdles for the SNR team, each of the directors agrees that the opportunity to bring this show to fruition has been incredibly rewarding. It is, in fact, this year’s unique theme and message that moves them forward.
The pivotal time we are experiencing inspired this year’s show theme, entitled illusion. As the SNR team uses the visual effects of distortion and optical illusion, they challenge the individual lens we have built in our minds in hopes to initiate the complex conversation surrounding the skewed perspectives and notions that society projects onto us. Creative Director, Ariana Pittelli describes when she was still in the brainstorming stages of the fashion show production process and how she wanted to choose a theme that “aesthetically could be playful and colorful, but also have a deeper meaning behind it.”
Illusion breathes life into the idea that a community can be built in unprecedented times, as long as there is a passionate force as the foundation, and sheds light on the importance of evolving our subconsciously, narrow-minded nature. Marino says that, “Throughout our platform, our audience is encouraged to let their guard down and open their eyes to see past the illusions of society.”
Along with a traditional runway show presentation, The 35th Silver Needle Runway has been elevated as a multi-media brand and enables the ability for an audience to engage with a runway show as a platform for change, discussion and innovation. Flynn elaborates on how “the amount of talent and drive that our class holds is like no other.”
With their message at the core of all they do, the SNR team ensures that their impression will last long after the models have walked.
“We want to use our platform this year to inspire the innovations of the next generation of fashion leaders and beyond,” shares Hudnut. Pittelli adds, “For young creatives like ourselves, I hope we are living proof that you can do whatever you want to, if you are willing to work hard enough and remain dedicated.”
The resilience of this group collectively is truly remarkable, and the determined spirit and fiery passion that each of the seven student directors possess is electrifying. They fearlessly explore uncharted territory to bring their audience a transformative runway experience.
“We hope that this show gives our audience a chance to reflect and look at the world and our future in a different light,” says Knight. Ciravolo adds, “Much like any situation, you have the power to see this show as you want, but our hope is that our audience is able to connect, on some level, with the story being told.”
The world is seeing how the fashion industry will evolve from the next generation who will lead it. Innovation is happening right before our eyes.
For more updates and to follow along with the incredible journey of these young fashion innovators, find the team @silverneedlerunway on all platforms.