Cheering crowds and diverse fashion graced the Domain on Nov. 11-13 for the Austin fashion week. People from all over Austin went to see the fashion created by numerous local designers in order to experience the latest trends of the fashion world. The Austin Fashion show consists of many runways exhibiting fashion from different designers. 

According to Fashinnovation, fashion allows people to express themselves through apparel, accessories, and shoes. Students interested in fashion have the opportunity to take LASA’s career and technical education class, fashion design. Fashion design teacher Jessica Fisher helps kids who are interested in fashion,  learn about topics such as fashion merchandising, sewing, and style forecasting. 

“The fashion design class covers a wide range of sewing/designing skills and techniques,” Fisher said. “We learn fashion illustration on the croquis, flat pattern and sloper designs, cutting panels to construct a bodice, sleeve, pant, and collar, sewing on the machine and by hand, serger, fittings, and alterations. Students also learn about fashion merchandising, retail display, creating a collection, and production of a fashion show at the end of the year.”

Senior Jaxie Niles Argüello takes the fashion class and believes that the class can unlock new passions that will help students express themselves. Niles Argüello uses the skills learned in fashion design as an outlet of creative expression. 

“I decided to take the class because I love sewing anyway, but I didn’t have that big of a passion for fashion design,” Niles Argüello said. “But now I love expressing myself through my design and clothing.”

Fisher said that  not only does fashion help one learn new things, but it’s also important for self image. According to Fisher, fashion can help one express themselves as a person. 

“Fashion is an outward expression of self, allows you to be creative, and is a form of wearable art,” Fisher said. “Fashion impacts people in so many ways, it allows you to create something that is functional and expressive, gives you a sense of identity, allows you to try different looks, always changing.” 

  Similar to Fisher, Gabriela Garcia, a fashion designer who owns Congrains designs believes that fashion is a very important thing. The Colombian native fashion designer and fashion illustrator who traveled from San Antonio to participate in the Austin fashion show said that not only is fashion important for many individuals, but it’s also a passion.

“Fashion is life,” Garcia said. “It’s all around us, and quite simply, we need it. It represents us as individuals. Fashion can be simple, fashion can be glamorous but no matter what, fashion always tells a story… The interaction between colors and design and the cuts and the textures of the different fabrics. I love how those elements come together to create style.”

Along with her pure love of fashion, Garcia’s ethnicity has impacted her designs. Having a Colombian background has impacted her fashion because of the inspiration she takes from her own life. 

“Being Colombian is who I am,” Garcia said. “My culture is in my blood, and so it’s always at the core of what and how I create. The journey becomes mixing that culture with my life experiences and the different things that inspire me.”

This year, Austin Fashion Week had a diverse group of fashion designers, with designs taking inspiration from Mexico, Afro-Caribbean culture, among other places . Fisher said that the show not only helps designers expose their art but also helps the people in the community understand more about fashion. 

“The Austin fashion week fashion show is important because it allows our community to come together and show new seasonal styles, trends, and designers,” Fisher said. “People enjoy the Austin fashion week fashion show because it is something that they can easily be a part of and enjoy seeing new trends on the runway. Designers are able to showcase new collections for the season and have them viewed by a wide variety of consumers.”

The fashion show both spotlights the work that designers do, but also serves to help motivate them. Garcia enjoys sharing her designs and seeing her passion represented on the runway. 

“There is no greater feeling than seeing all your hard work come together and be featured in a setting like this,” Garcia said. “Nothing like seeing the whole collection on that runway. More than anything, an experience like this gives you the opportunity to push yourself and see what you’re made of. It forces you to be creative and work hard and then gives you the payoff of seeing your work presented with talented models in front of a large audience.”