On March 18, Fashion and Sneakers at UCI (FSUCI) hosted their second runway in the club’s history. The club collaborated with 12 designers and a multitude of students, showcasing unique, elaborate and stylish pieces based on this runway’s theme — Apocalypse.
This FSUCI runway has been months in the making, according to board members. Since late fall quarter 2024, they had been in contact with designers, organizing models, designing the set and rehearsing the runway itself.
The show teased the runway with a series of short films by creative Lucas Shin. The films featured the members of FSUCI in an apocalyptic universe, with FSUCI President Ari Bides acting as a detective trying to recover those who have gone missing in the apocalypse.
The runway opened with Elle Hsu’s brand, Ette. In addition to being a brand designer, Hsu is also on board for FSUCI as the director of marketing. Hsu designed her pieces based on the vision of her brand — monochromatic shades with unique details and textures — while keeping the apocalypse theme in mind by having outfits with ethereal qualities.
”Everything I make is gonna be white, with different layering, and details and textures. But then I was thinking, well, how do I segue into [the] apocalypse and just have all white?” Hsu said in an interview with New University. “The idea was to make my pieces under a big umbrella of the angel of destruction.”
Brands Miracle Ransom and Utekko followed, offering unique takes on the apocalypse theme while staying true to the brand. Miracle Ransom featured unique upcycled and reworked pieces that used different techniques like alcohol printing, hand distressing and airbrushing, and based their looks on what people scavenge in an apocalypse. Utekko experimented with distinct silhouettes, textures and materials.
Brands such as Thomas Wylde, an LA-based underground luxury brand, and Lange, a brand committed to emotionally intentional space, focused on the luxury side of fashion for this runway. Jene Park, a representative for Thomas Wylde, spoke to New University about the inspiration for her designs.
“We find beauty in death,” Jene said in an interview with New University.
She explained that this specific collection was inspired by the ancient Egyptian custom of burying goods with the dead to bring valuables into the next life.
“Thomas Wylde is investment pieces, you never throw [them] away.”
Morgan Babcock, brand designer for Lange, explained that his brand was meant to be luxury-oriented while also being dark and emotional. Babcock found inspiration in deconstructed armor.
“I found this really cool fabric made of nylon and elastic, but the nylon is coated in zinc,” Babcock said in an interview with New University. “It’s supposed to give that armory kind of texture and chainmail vibe.”
Babcock explained that his looks were inspired by an apocalyptic vision where people would wear chainmail armor over worn clothing, reflecting an end-of-the-world aesthetic.
Independent designers like mixmxxmi, Disueños and Ciara Riley showed off their personal creations. Mimmxxmi, a brand that specializes in crochet and knit garments, had models adorn original handmade distressed headpieces, skirts and tops with cutouts and hardware attached to the clothes with more feminine silhouettes.
Disueños brand owner Daissy Sanchez found inspiration in the roles community members assume to help one another and survive, such as healers, hunters and gatherers. Their brand is meant to upcycle secondhand garments and give them a second life.
“We just have to use what we have and make what we can with what we have,” Sanchez said in an interview with New University.
For her runway looks, Ciara Riley Wilson from Ciara Riley Studios asked herself the question, “What post-apocalyptic objects spark design?” She used unconventional materials like pieces of scrap metal and old dartboards in her designs, making something out of what some might see as trash.
Brands M4chine, Sogum, Degxnerate Youth and Seek Valeur finished off the show. M4chine featured styles inspired by potential ways of apocalyptic living such as survivalist and machinist lifestyles.
Sogum designer Daniel Park found inspiration for his pieces through other designers like Yohji Yamamoto and LA-based brands like Yuremane.
“It’s very flowy and loose,” Daniel said of his designs in an interview with New University. “You can see in the pants some of them are wearing, it was super wide, and also the tops are incredibly flowy and kind of just move around everywhere.”
He also found himself incorporating his own personal style as well as ideas from friends’ brands.
Degxnerate Youth used contrasting garments to showcase their Antumbra collection during this runway. They combined opposing pieces like distressed and draped garments and traditionally expensive and inexpensive pieces of clothing in order to represent light and dark themes. Detailed in a slideshow shared with New University by Degxnerate Youth designers, this collection is meant to feel “grainy, noisy but cohesive in a way that embodies a sense of order and connectedness.”
Seek Valeur aimed to leave it up to the viewer to interpret their designs. They experimented with proportions, creating distinct and eccentric silhouettes.
“I think the theme of apocalypse kind of coincides with some of the emotional themes I have for my show and I think that’s why they worked so well,” said Seek, lead designer of Seek Valeur, in an interview with New University.
The runway closed with personal looks built by FSUCI members, showing off their takes on the theme. All models from each brand also came out for one final look.
For many of the brands, this was their first opportunity to be featured on a runway. Bides made it her mission to not only show off brand clothes but also execute their visions of the apocalypse.
“We have an end goal here to create a community, to make people feel seen and inspired,” Bides said in an interview with New University. “It’s just so much more special that people really trust us to do all of this stuff.”
FSUCI creates a space where students interested in fashion can find a community.
“I’m able to help other people out and help students find passion within the fashion community,” External Vice President Lilyan Han said in an interview with New University.
Bides, Han and the rest of the board have been working hard to get this entire runway organized. They hired makeup artists and hair stylists and collaborated with people like Lucan Shin, Nayely Muratalla-Morales and Hanna Qadiri on media promotion. Other contributors included Lauren Lee on sound design, Jessie Serrano as model coordinator, Caden Kim on set design and the entire media team, who helped turn this runway into a full production. The board works as one strong, cohesive team, making changes and compromises in order to make the show the best it can be.
“I’m super grateful to work with, honestly, my board members,” Han said. “They’re always super helpful, super sweet and kind, hardworking, so I really appreciate them as well.”
Han told New University that FSUCI plans on hosting a runway annually. Photos and videos of this year’s runway are set to be posted on the FSUCI Instagram.
Denise Piolo is an Arts & Entertainment Intern for the spring 2025 quarter. She can be reached at epiolo@uci.edu.
Edited by Corinna Chin and Jaheem Conley.