Area high school students will have the opportunity to go “Behind the Scenes” on opening night of this year’s textiles and clothing fashion show, “Techno 2000.”

The “Behind the Scenes” program is part of the ISU student-run fashion show, which is in its 18th year.

“Behind the Scenes” brings in prospective students and recruits for ISU’s Department of Apparel Merchandising, Design and Production. “Behind the Scenes” will be held April 7, and the fashion show is held April 7-8.

“It’s the best recruiting opportunity we have in this department,” said LuAnn Gaskill, associate professor and chairwoman of textiles and clothing. “They’ll have a chance to see what kinds of creative products our students are generating.”

J.R. Campbell, assistant professor of textiles and clothing, said the program has benefited ISU’s enrollment.

“Quite a number of students who come to ‘Behind the Scenes’ do get inspired by this,” he said. “In the last five years, especially, we’ve constantly increased our enrollment, and I think this is a part of the reason why.”

The program consists of various activities for the high school students throughout the day, starting at noon with enrollment information and campus tours.

At 2 p.m., the high schoolers have a chance to do some hands-on computer activities as well as see demonstrations and attend seminars. The seminar topics range from computer-aided design in fashion to merchandising planning.

Before the 7 p.m. opening night fashion show, the high school students will attend a picnic allowing them to visit with faculty members and other prospective students.

At the show, the students will get to go backstage and see process of putting on a fashion show.

“It’s a pretty good reflection of what occurs in the fashion industry,” Campbell said. “Our hope is that they don’t just see clothing designers as the real output. There are a number of students who are involved with the show who don’t actually design the garments.”

The number of high school students who are enrolled for “Behind the Scenes” is down from recent years, Gaskill said. This is due to an $8 fee that wasn’t mandatory for past shows.

Gaskill said the fee might lower the number of people who sign up but don’t actually come, and it also might help the department target the students who are sincerely interested in the field.

“We hopefully will see 75 or 80 students this year,” she said.

Campbell said he doesn’t see the benefits of this program limited to just showcasing the department to prospective students. He said ISU students who are involved with the show also enjoy the visit from the high schoolers.

“It puts the process in perspective,” he said. “By seeing those high school [students] come in and go through the program, it helps them to remember where they came from, where they’re going and how much they’ve accomplished.”