Portfolio in Motion, Marymount University’s premiere student-led fashion show, returned to the institution’s Main Campus last week with the theme of ‘Millennium: The Chrome Age.’ Over three nights, the performance delivered an immersive experience that ‘stimulated the audience and made them question what the future of fashion holds.’
“It was an amazing show of our talent here at Marymount, from streetwear to evening wear that included petite to half sizes,” said William Allen, instructor of Fashion Design at Marymount University.
Each spring, Portfolio in Motion is planned and produced by a combination of Fashion Merchandising and Fashion Design students who construct garments, select and choreograph student models, design and light the set, write scripts, select music and much more.
“For this year’s Portfolio in Motion fashion show, we transported Marymount to the year 3023,” said Julia Ravindran, Associate Professor of Fashion Design at Marymount University. “The theme is centered around innovation and ingenuity. We are flipping the fashion industry upside down and reconceptualizing the possibilities of creativity.”
This year’s Designer of the Year, who is traditionally honored at Portfolio in Motion and comes to campus to critique student work and offer one-on-one portfolio feedback, was Kim Schalk, who hails from nearby Alexandria, Va. Since the 1990’s, when she opened her first shop, Schalk’s brand has expanded to the national level – but her heart is still in the national capital region. She regularly hosts Marymount Fashion Design students as interns in her Alexandria studio, and has also donated large quantities of fabric to Marymount’s fashion department.
“I have always had a strong personality and I think that shows in my designs. While designing, I ponder this – can a woman be both strong and feminine? This question is a persistent conflict in my design,” Schalk reflected. “Even the materials convey duality – soft terry knits folded into architectural shapes, or diaphanous silks merged with turgid cotton. I use these tools of technique, material, aesthetic and voice to speak for me – opposing concepts, duality in life. My line is inspired by conflict and all that it has to offer.”
On opening night of Portfolio in Motion last Thursday, various Marymount students who participated in the production of the three-night event were honored with awards for their dedicated efforts:
Fashion Design Awards
- Portfolio in Motion Award: Ernesto Santalla
- Sister Gabrielle Berg Memorial Award: Tabata Aramayo
- Excellence in Menswear Award: Yotwarit Kornwoodtikun
- Best of 2023 Award for Line Coordination: Mariajose Pineda and Zaina Elshaer
- Best of 2023 Award for Creativity in a Garment: Erica Fenwick
Fashion Merchandising & Marketing Awards
- Sister Gabrielle Berg Memorial Award: Grace Healey
- Service Leadership Award: Lydia Langford
- Standout Performance in Merchandising Award: Isabella Dougherty
