HIGH SCHOOL OF FASHION INDUSTRIES PRESENTS 34TH ANNUAL SHOW

Most of us in the United States mark the end of the school year with graduation. Caps and gowns are distributed, valedictory speeches are made, and parents beam with pride. But for those who attended fashion schools, there is one other rite of passage that is equally important: the Senior Fashion Show. If you went to a college like FIT, Parsons, SCAD, or FIDM, you know what I mean (particularly if you had a roommate working until the wee hours of the morning finishing a term garment for the big finale).

But, if you were lucky enough to be bitten by the fashion bug at an early age — and lucky enough to grow up in the Five Boroughs — you’d know that New York City’s High School of the Fashion Industries is the right place to start a Seventh Avenue career.  And just like all those fashion colleges, HSFI puts on one hell of an end-of-year show.

This year’s 34th Annual Scholarship Fundraiser Fashion Show’s theme was “The Re-Roaring ’20s,” celebrating rising hopes that the pandemic is ebbing, and that “visions of a second ‘Roaring Twenties'” to match that of the Gatsby Era would inspire the world. Speaking for myself, I left the evening inspired and excited about the future of our industry.

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ABOVE: Photos by Benjamin Russell (HSFI’s photography instructor!).

Much of the show was dedicated to women’s apparel, but there was a healthy representation of menswear, too (in fact more than I remember from years past). Some of the designers modeled their own creations, while others recruited friends from the student body. While proud parents were present for the show, an equally appreciative — and appreciated — group of faculty, administrators, advisors, and industry pros also cheered on the creations. Special thanks to instructor Rosa Chávez and to Lucy Fierro for inviting us to this year’s celebration. Congratulations to the class of 2022.

ABOVE: Video by Lucy Fierro