Dogs dressed in student-made, upcycled coats will walk the runway on Oct. 16 at the University of Arizona’s annual “Dogs N Denim” fashion show.
Hosted by the UA Norton School of Human Ecology and the Fashion Industry’s Science and Technology program, the show will take place at the McClelland Park courtyard and will feature service dogs and disabled dogs.
The goal of this event is to highlight the service dogs and their stories, and with handmade denim pieces, they truly are the stars of this show. A new group of dogs has been added this year: dogs with disabilities. This show is a collaboration of dogs helping people, and now people helping dogs. By using recycled denim and other materials, this event also raises sustainability awareness.
The class FITS 397: Fashion Collaborations – Fashion for a Purpose, taught by professor Elizabeth Heuisler, organizes this event every year and is completely student-run. The class is split into different committees: marketing, clientele and event logistics, graphic design and design/sewing. Each one handles different areas of the planning, gaining experience and seeing their ideas come into fruition.
“Being on the marketing committee is honestly so fun because I am getting to really put together everything I learned over the summer into something real,” Amaya Williams, a senior with a FITS major and marketing minor, said.
According to Williams, even though it was hectic in the beginning, the class was able to figure it out by breaking things down.
“What are the most important things we should focus on? Vendors, advertisements, social media, let’s start working on that,” Williams said. “Researching ‘What do I want this to look like?’ ‘What do I want the show to look like?’ ‘What do I want the social media to look like?’ ‘What kind of marketing would I want to do?’”
The design and sewing committee also had to start small. A’mour Canty, a junior FITS major, explained how they started with a basic introduction to using the sewing machines, making little bags out of extra denim that will be used as swag bags for those who purchase VIP tickets to the show.
Now, they are working on constructing the dog coats. “Seeing past creations and then working with people to come up with new creations and even just getting inspiration from daily life,” Canty said when asked how they are approaching the task.
And of course, there’s the excitement of getting to work with dogs. Williams and Canty both said one of their favorite parts about it has been getting to meet all the dogs.
“We’ve seen so many cute dogs like one of them, she’s a three-legged dog; her name is Momma Mia. She’s a beautiful greyhound, and she’s going to be in the show with her support dog, Emily,” Canty said.
Along with Momma Mia and Emily, there will be dogs from other organizations and shelters around Tucson, returners from last year and new faces. There will be several UA organizations and clubs, plus other vendors and community organizations, including vendors with specialty dog treats.
The fashion show is from 5-7 p.m. at 650 N. Park Ave and is free to attend. You can purchase $10 VIP tickets online, which act as a donation and will come with one of the “swag bags” made by the students. There will be little goodies in these, such as Sephora samples, gift cards and other promotional items.
This unique fashion show is not something you want to miss if you are passionate about fashion, sustainability, or the wonderful work of local service dogs. More information can be found on their Instagram @azdogsndenim, and tickets can be purchased at their website.
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