By Emily Williams
Students from Over the Mountain schools graced the catwalk for the Rising Star Design competition at Birmingham Fashion Week Aug. 25-27.
Of four winners chosen from 60 contestants, three hail from the Over the Mountain area.
Mountain Brook High School’s Kathryn Sours, Vestavia Hills High School’s Brooke Lindsey and Homewood High School’s Rigdon Hendrix each placed in the competition, receiving a $1,500 per year scholarship from the Savannah College of Art and Design.
For the competition, each student was asked to design an outfit that represents their interpretation of what fashion will look like a century into the future. Without sewing or using fabric, they created garments using alternative and recyclable materials.
“My design is a classic gown with a very futuristic twist,” said Lindsey. “The gown is very elegant but at the same time pushes fashion boundaries.”
She hand-painted orchids that cover the bodice of the dress and incorporated them into the skirt of the dress along with shards of broken CDs.
“This dress has lines that I could see into style in the next 20-30 years at the Oscars, Emmys or Met Gala,” Lindsey added.
Sours’ design was inspired by holograms. She used hot glue, staples and regular glue to layer iridescent cellophane to her dress form.
Hendrix created a set with asymmetrical skirt and a bandeau top accessorized with a circular hood that framed the face.
“As we move toward a more digital age, both children and adults alike feel an obligation to participate in the abyss of social media,” Hendrix said. “This creates a broadcasting of different shards of one’s life while keeping their true personality hidden under a hood.”
At the conclusion of the three-night event, founders Heidi Elnora and Jeana Lee Thompson announced that this year’s Birmingham Fashion Week could be the last. Due to the growth of the event, the staff of volunteers can no longer accommodate the work load. Elnora and Thompson said they will try to raise the funds necessary to hire a staff, but if they can’t this will be the last year of the event.
