There’s a 44-year age difference between the youngest (Lori Monden, 20) and oldest (Cynthia Verano, 64) of 15 designers to be featured during Honolulu Community College’s annual senior fashion show, confirmation that a love of fashion transcends age and the ages.
For Monden, an early admission student through McKinley High School’s Jump Start Program, studying fashion is just one stop on a path toward her desire to teach sewing techniques and pattern-making to others. For Verano, enrolling in school was her way of making a statement about the lack of plus-size fashion on the market, as well as setting an example of the importance of education for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
"C’est Si Bon," staged by students of the school’s Fashion Technology Program, will take place May 3 at the HCC Marine Education Training Center on Sand Island. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with the $30 ticket price including a dinner buffet (call 845-9203).
The event will also showcase theatrical pieces by "Project Runway Philippines" designer Randy Leano, who came to Hawaii for formal training and to further his career.
The show promises a mix of the avant-garde, contemporary Polynesian wear, formal gowns and a growing interest in menswear.
‘Hera’
By Mary Jane Bayudan
Never a rebellious teen, Bayudan, 23, always looked up to her mother and grew up in awe "of the way she dresses, her style. She always wore nice clothes."
Her collection comprises white gowns with gold braid accents that channel the beauty and elegance of the Greek goddess Hera.
The designer aims to one day open her own boutique specializing in prom and evening wear, saying, "Every girl deserves to feel like a goddess for that one special night."
‘Midnight Templar’
By Liberty Mae Dela Cruz
Attending her first Kawaii Kon changed Dela Cruz’s life. "I decided to join the fashion class at school so I could make my own costly costumes."
She continues to draws inspiration from anime, manga and video games, saying, "I like bringing fantasy into a casual setting, where you could dress it up or down."
Her menswear line offers "my own twist on how my hero would be dressed."
"My dream job would be to become a cosplay replicator."
‘Origami‘
By Emilee Gibo
The 22-year-old designer strives for simplicity in her ready-to-wear garments. "I just like to make clothes that are wearable, that you would see in the street."
Of her origami-influenced separates, she said, "I enjoy seeing lines in clothing, and it all just came together."
‘Beach Boho’
By Bryah Godoy
The ocean is the inspiration for Godoy’s beauty day, party and evening collection capturing the flow of water and reflection of light bouncing off waves.
Easy pieces are an extension of her childhood play, when, she said, "I loved to make up new designs, play in front of the mirror and drape fabric all over myself."
‘Tea’z Me’
By Courtney Hamada
Hamada, 25, says she grew up a tomboy but somehow turned into a girlie girl, which manifests in her tea party-themed collection.
"I like the idea of tea parties. My line is filled with color, and my dresses are very bright and fun," she said, as a way of helping women reassert their feminine side.
‘Infamous’
By Christopher Kim
Kim, 28, returned to civilian life after Army deployment to Iraq, with the idea of creating menswear that would modernize the image of the classic tough guy.
He gravitated to fashion because, when shopping, "There was always something I found slightly off from what I wanted, so I wanted to make it myself."
He aims for street-smart pieces that are simple but well crafted "that I would wear myself."
‘Ultra Vires (Beyond Powers)’
By Randy Leano
The last thing the 2009 "Project Runway Philippines" contestant wanted to produce for this senior effort was another ready-to-wear collection.
"RTW is what everybody’s doing, and to me, what is the point of being a designer if you’re not different, if your work looks like everybody else’s?"
Never lacking in imagination, the designer chose to envision costumes for stage and film inspired by the elements of water, fire, earth, wind and ether.
His ensembles include cage-style corsets, sheer embellished fabrics and matching headdresses, all created to wow on first sight.
"I had so much fun because with these types of garments, artistry has no limitations. The only thing you have to worry about is how it looks onstage, how well it photographs. It’s all about glamour and glitz."
‘Soleil Noir’
By Jacqueline Miszuk
Fashion has always been Miszuk’s first love, but her career took a detour when, after 9/11, the 34-year-old New York native felt the calling to help as a volunteer medic, which led to joining the Army and a deployment to Iraq as a combat medic.
Now back on U.S. soil, she’s taken up where she left off and for her senior collection created a line inspired by geometric shapes representing the lines of New York’s cityscapes, saying, "I like more structure and lines are important to me."
‘Midnight Tea Party’
By Lori Monden
While Hamada takes a light approach to the tea party, Monden takes a darker approach.
Although she loves tea parties, she said, "They’re all too girlie." Her collection draws from a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s "Punk: Chaos to Couture" exhibition.
Her collection includes dresses, skirts and tops stitched from black lace, and she said her potential customer "is a tough girl who wears a tutu seven days a week."
At 20, Monden was eligible for early enrollment in the HCC program through the Jump Start program at McKinley High School. But, she never wanted to be a fashion designer, finding it all too demanding. Instead, she had to learn all the techniques with the end goal of teaching others sewing and design skills.
‘Edge’
By Kathleen "Kat" Nakata
The designer will be showcasing her fall menswear line, which combines comfort and structure.
"I feel like there isn’t much variety in menswear. You only hear about suits. Depending where you go, men like to dress up, and I just wanted to expand their choices."
‘Diable Rouge’
By Randy Oribello
Like Ivy Higa before him, Oribello, 32, turned his job at Neiman Marcus into a crash course in fine fashion.
"I worked in the stock department, so I was able to examine the garments, look at all the seams. I made friends in the alterations department, so I was able to see how they worked. I loved it."
He asked tough questions like "Why is this so expensive?" and "What makes this brand better than the other?"
At home he continued his education online, searching for tutorials on blogs and YouTube, and put theory to work on his gothic collection, inspired by "Bram Stoker’s Dracula," his love of corsetry and the vintage, fitted look of the 1940s.
His collection features handmade, steel-boned corsets, and he says he would love to one day work on film productions.
‘Urban Jungle’
By Uoleni Tupuola
At 31, Tupuola has been designing and producing Polynesian costumes for the entertainment industry for 12 years. On the street level, he’s interested in the intersection between casual Polynesian wear and urban clothing influenced not only by the islands and West Coast surf and skate culture, but also the tropics of the Far East, Bali and Indonesia.
Noting that there are enough designers creating bandeau-top dresses and pareaus, he created a collection geared toward the contemporary tropics, with utility meeting graphic art and flashes of brilliant color.
Among his designs are khaki rompers with panels of hand-painted camouflage designs with refreshing touches of citrus and lime hues.
Upon graduating he plans to head to San Diego to further his career in both fashion and event production.
‘The Elegant Ellies’
By Cynthia Verano
After retiring at 60, this great-grandmother decided to fulfill a lifetime goal of graduating from college and setting an example for the next generation of Veranos.
"I’ve always loved sewing but had to go to work and raise children," she said of her late start.
Her collection stems from a long-held grievance that there is too little variety available to plus-size women. "Even with younger women, (retailers) want to put us in old-lady clothes."
Her collection of elegant gowns and dresses are geared toward 25- to 40-year-olds who are not willing to accept a lifetime of boxy tunics and oversize T-shirts.
But whether she’ll make a career of fashion is up in the air. "I’m really interested in everything," she said, adding that her son is preparing to enter Kapiolani Community College’s culinary program, "and he wants me to go with him."
‘Sweet Rose’
By Kayoko Yamaoka
Yamaoka loves the romance of wedding gowns and has created a bridal collection of gowns and bridesmaid dresses incorporating her handmade fabric rosettes. Bubble skirts add to the cheer of the happy occasion.
Originally from Japan, she’ll be taking her skills back to Tokyo, where a wedding gown can command more than double the $3,000 to $4,000 price tag here.
NOTE: Designer Angela Tuika was unavailable for an interview.
