San Diego fashion students took their designs to the runway in the 38th annual Golden Scissors Fashion Show. The shows theme was “Forces of Fashion” and the student’s unleashed their creativity in a series of striking collections.

The show began with a silent auction that featured items donated from local businesses. These items ranged from Beatles vinyls, donated by Vinyl Junkies, to succulent arrangements, and all proceeds from the auction went towards the Mesa Fashion Program.

Multiple programs at Mesa College came together to make this show happen. The cosmetology department partnered with the fashion students in order to enhance the models and create the intended vision of the pieces. The dance program helped out by performing in the show’s activewear collection and truly showing off the clothes in the way they’re meant to be worn. The music students also helped with the musical aspects of the show.

One memorable collection from the show was the “Wearable Technology” section. For this, the

models walked twice, once in the dark and once with the lights on. Appropriately, “All the Stars” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA played in the background as the models took stage. To reflect this theme, the models wore clothes with lights strung artistically through them in various ways. On one, a cape trailed behind with small yellow lights and on another a red heart flashed. Some carried lanterns and other small lit objects. When the lights cut on, the outfits looked completely different than they appeared to seconds earlier in the dark.

Another memorable part of the show was the Sunshine and Happiness collection. This showcased small children clothes created by sewing beginners. The audience let out a collective “Aww” as the first models stepped out. Their ages ranged from about 6-10 and several of them were toting oversized lollipops. While some were shy, others were confident on stage and some even high-fived and blew kisses. Those who were nervous warmed up with the audience’s cheers and claps of encouragement.

After a few collective sections such as these, the students got a chance to showcase their individual work. Sarah Wilcox for example, created several designs in a collection called “Let Low.” She said that for these pieces, she drew inspiration from 90s streetwear, as well as current trends that she sees on social media. The fashion program at Mesa College helped her pinpoint her passion for design and she explained that one thing she loves about the class is having projects with less structure so she can express herself more freely. Her collection was fun and current, with Post Malone’s “Wow” playing in the background while student models showed off her designs.