Eyeporters, a minority, woman-owned, European American eyewear design company, will spotlight the work of OCSA students at its 2024 Fashion Show this evening.
Not only will the event feature fashion designs by students Lauren Kolodziej (IA, ‘23) and Lauren Young (PD, ‘26), but students from the Art & Enterprise Conservatory, Aiden Chung (AE, ‘26) and Luisa Gomez-Linnert (AE, ‘26) are working with Eyeporters executives to serve as project managers. Tira Smith (CAH, ‘24) will cater the event.
Eileen Estrada, CEO and Founder of Eyeporters LLC, reached out to Ms. Allison Bushman, Director of the Arts & Enterprise Conservatory, to invite students to participate in the event.
Estrada said community leaders and local business owners are expected to attend the show, creating networking opportunities for students while providing them with an introduction to the many career paths in fashion, eyewear, and other related industries.
Ms. Bushman said she jumped at the chance to get OCSA students involved. She advocated for her Arts & Enterprise students to build their business acumen by joining the production team, and partnered with Ms. Kim Jones and Ms. Cynthia Karim to involve Fashion Elective Class students in the fashion design aspect of the show.
“From an educational perspective the students are having to meet deadlines, execute their ideas, collaborate with others and follow the direction, wants and needs of the company itself. They are getting a true ‘real world’ experience,” said Ms. Jones.
The fashion designers went through an application process before being selected by the Eyeporters team, then attended weekly meetings where they learned more about the company and the messages they would like to portray through their fashion. The students were expected to work in a professional capacity with Eyeporters as their client, and use their skills as designers to contribute to the company’s desired messages.
“I’ve learned a lot about how to create a fashion show from the very beginning, such as how to build each piece to create a cohesive collection of clothing. It has been such a great experience and opportunity that I don’t think I would have had access to at any other school,” said one of the selected fashion designers, Lauren Young.
The Arts & Enterprise students have been working closely with Beth Schmit, vice president of operations at Eyeporters, who has been sharing knowledge regarding organization timeliness, resource management, and effective communication within a team of creatives. She has assigned the student project managers to support back-end operations leading up to the event. They will also work hands on to ensure that everything runs smoothly during the fashion show.
“I have loved working with the PM team! Aiden and Luisa are bright and genuine. Our designers, ‘Lola’ and ‘Lolo,’ have surpassed expectations in terms of their designs and creativity. All of the students have been dedicated, resourceful, and steadfast in their efforts to ensure a successful event,” said Schmit.
Ms. Bushman said that she’s incredibly proud of all students involved and very excited that they were given the opportunity to learn these life skills that can translate into any career or industry. She hopes that they will look back and make the connection that what they learned by collaborating together in a professional environment was a huge contributor to their growth and success in the future!