With lights beaming down and music blaring, models strut with confidence down the runway, transforming the Great Hall into a fashionable stage showcasing this year’s Project Runway event.

Based off the hit television show, Iowa State’s Project Runway embodies the creative spirit of students in Ames. For the ninth consecutive year, the Student Union Board has hosted Project Runway.

The event was open to students of any major, and teams were composed of up to six ISU students. Enrolled teams had eight hours to construct an ensemble based on this year’s theme, which was “Survival.”

Students’ mornings were spent creating and sewing; designs were later critiqued by judges and finally sent down the runway at the event’s fashion show. The winning team’s designs will be featured in the fall issue of Trend Magazine.

To some, constructing apparel pieces in eight hours seems unrealistic, but the seven teams of students defeated the stigma and created fresh, fashionable garments within their time constraint. 

Fueled with caffeine, excitement and anticipation, students gathered at 8 a.m. Sunday to begin the whirlwind day.

Aryana Gathings, junior in apparel, merchandising and design, absorbed the atmosphere around her during the day.

“It was really hectic,” Gathings said. “We had quite a few setbacks with one of our sewing machines breaking down but we persevered and made sure everything got finished.”

After showcasing the seven creations on the runway, judges Joshua McKinley, from season nine of the TV show “Project Runway” and the celebrity judge, and Brenda Ackerman, lecturer in apparel, events and hospitality management, narrowed the competition down to four finalists. The final teams included “Sew it Now,” “Senior Status,” “MAK2” and “Sew Fetch”.

As a member of the “Senior Status” team, Sara Kinderknecht, senior in apparel, merchandising and design, and marketing, appreciated the constructive criticism of the judges.

“We got really good critiques. [Joshua] was very impressed by the wearability of our garment,” Kinderknecht said.

Straight from the fashion industry, McKinley, veteran of Lifetime’s “Project Runway,” judged the event. Placing second in season nine and making into the final round in the All-Star season, McKinley is seasoned in the pressure of events such as Iowa State’s Project Runway. McKinley spoke kindly of each team’s designs at the event.

“It’s all about the more is better.” McKinley said to the audience regarding to his own aesthetic.

He emphasized the importance of designer’s finding out what fashion is to him or her.

Ultimately, Ackerman and McKinley chose the design from team MAK2 as the winning garment—a design inspired by surviving a radioactive explosion that came to life on the runway. The silhouette and fabric choice complimented the futuristic and high fashion aesthetic.

MAK2 was a creative powerhouse made up of five team members: Mahagony Stanton, sophomore in apparel, merchandising and design; Andrea Tejada, junior in apparel, merchandising and design; Kaozong Lee, senior in apparel, merchandising and design; Erica Becker, senior in apparel, merchandising and design; and Kessehu James, senior finance.

Following the fast-paced, raw creativity that fills the Lifetime series, ISU students impressed both the judges and spectators, showcasing the individualism that runs in the veins of ISU students.