The University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补’蝉 Fashion Design and Merchandising (FDM) program reached its diamond jubilee with its 60th annual fashion exhibition, “Kaleido: Fragmented Illusions.” Held at the 糖心Vlog官方 惭ā苍辞补’蝉 Campus Center Ballroom, the event showcased the technical skill and creative vision of student designers from the , emphasizing a future built on collaborative innovation and collective action.
Seven senior designers created their MINI collections, along with their videographies, and small, box-like, decorative booths to present their collections before walking the Kaleidoscopic runway.
Student to leader
Leading the production was senior designer Latisha Tong, whose personal journey mirrors the transformations on the runway. She served as production lead and president of the FDM student club, Stole Society, managing the progress of her peers while developing her own senior collection. Her designs, inspired by botanical growth, transitioned from “seed and soil” to a “sprout” and finally an “upside-down flower.”
This four-look progression served as a metaphor for her evolution from a student who knew nothing of sewing to a confident leader. Through this high-pressure role, Tong learned that true leadership involves advocating for others and accepting that sometimes, things don’t go as planned.
Technical rigor
The exhibition also showed the technical rigor required to move from concept to garment. Senior designer Roshini Joshua Monkin created a collection about the elegance of a wedding day by elevating simple garments into sophisticated wedding attire.
Senior designer Elliana Abcede highlighted four princess looks as her own dreams inspired by her cultural roots in the Philippines. With dual roles as a senior designer and the exhibition’s audio-visual manager, she managed venue logistics, noting that the road to the final show is paved with trial and error. Reflecting on her growth since 2023, Elliana shared that the program taught her to embrace failure as a necessary step toward success. Her advice to future students is to stay focused, as the technical demands of the exhibition prepare them for the professional world.