Alice Dehghanzadeh
Opinions Editor
On May 31, the UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) Fashion Club held its annual fashion show at the Art, Design, and Architecture (AD&A) Museum on campus, transforming it into an exhibition of style and self-expression. Sponsored by Poshmark, this year’s theme was “Bloom” with the tagline: “Come support sustainability, diversity, and the future of fashion — and fall in love with what blooms.” This event was also an opportunity for the Fashion Club to launch their fashion magazine, “MWAH,” with a similar theme.
Prior to the show, The Bottom Line (TBL) had the opportunity to speak with Ashley Cayne, UCSB senior and president of the Fashion Club.
When asked about the show’s theme, Cayne shared that the Fashion Club sees the show as “an all-encompassing representation of growth, possibility, and, even moreso, the ever-evolving processes and metamorphosis of having a crush and falling in love, a storyline [they] leaned into when producing the contents of [their] magazine.”
Falling in spring, the word “bloom” connotes “change, possibility, opportunity, and growth.” And, along with the season, there is a romanticization of the springtime. Cayne expressed that she also sees “bloom” as “an indicator of planting the seeds (no pun intended) for future students and creatives to continue to showcase their work to the community.” This explanation not only speaks to the visuals of the show, but to the narrative ties as well.
Cayne has had the privilege of watching the annual fashion show evolve since its origins in spring of 2023 and spoke to TBL about its changes. “With every passing year,” she said, “we learn something new, and our team works tirelessly to come up with different ways to raise the bar, raise the stakes, and innovate the quality of the show.”
Last year, it was the Fashion Club’s first time hosting the show at the AD&A Museum on the UCSB campus, which made them fall in love with the space, evidently, and host it there again. As for what has changed? The number of designers, models, and quality of overall production value have increased.
So how does Fashion Club select the models and designers for the show? Cayne conveyed that the Fashion Club releases interest forms during winter quarter, insisting that no experience is necessary to participate. Creativity and genuine passion are all that are necessary to join the behind-the-scenes of the event. Even gaining talent from Los Angeles and San Francisco, the event follows the club’s mission statement of “harbor[ing] an all-inclusive community and outlet for expression.”
Producing a show of this scale does equally hold its challenges; Cayne shared that she and her team began as early as fall quarter to plan the show, ensuring that it’s both brought to the greatest quality it can be as well as be affordable to the club’s standards. “Our club is self-funded,” Cayne explained, “so we have to work extra hard to fundraise enough money to put on the best quality show that brings our vision to life but is [still] affordable and reasonable for our club.”
In an event of this scale, Cayne expressed two main crucial keys: collaboration and communication. From talent managers and art directors to production assistants and front of house, the Fashion Club ensures that all bases are covered.
Cayne expressed that “having to balance out so many duties can be overwhelming and challenging,” but at the same time, everyone on the team wants to be there, and “are all volunteering [their] time and [their] passion to contribute to something bigger than [themselves].” It is clear that this shared drive transforms the show from a simple runway event to something memorable.
When asked about what Cayne hopes attendees will take away from the event, inspiration is at the center. She said, “I hope that they can take in the hard work of our student creatives and can fully submit themselves to enjoying the showcasing of so many multifaceted creatives and talents of our community … Our departing seniors, many of them who have been involved in the club for years, have found this event to be a testament of our time in the Fashion Club, a bittersweet goodbye to the community that has undoubtedly shaped our identity.”
Its broader impact on the community could be felt by everybody in the room. As Cayne phrased it, “When we combine elements of fashion, art, design, and now, for the first time ever, launching our very own magazine, it truly feels like a celebration of all things creative.”
