Students walk the runway in a Fashion
show that benefits the homeless in
Portage County. Kent State Habitat for
Humanity is planning a second show
for Dec. 10.
(Photo Credit: Kami Miller)

After raising $1,000 at its Building Fashion show last April, Kent State Habitat for Humanity is at it again. This semester, with the help of Vince Quevedo, Kent State associate professor of fashion design, the campus organization is planning another fashion show for Saturday, Dec. 10, to benefit the homeless in Portage County.

Hard Hats and Heels: Featuring the KSU Fashion School’s Fashion Visuals Class is a joint effort with Kent State Habitat for Humanity and professors Quevedo, Barbara Rhodes and Sherry Nagy of the Fashion School at Kent State.

Approximately 125 students from five sections of the Fashion Visuals class are designing fashion-forward garments with a twist: they must use all recycled materials and incorporate items purchased from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in their design.

“At last year’s show, Professor Quevedo approached me and offered to partner with us,” says Jackson McGreevy, Kent State Habitat for Humanity president and senior aeronautical studies major from Lakewood, Ohio. “We jumped all over the opportunity.”

With a revamped format and new partnership, McGreevy hopes to raise $5,000 at this year’s show.

“The show is going to be much bigger,” he says. “Last year, we had 22 designers. This year, we have 125. There’s more structure and more preparation so that everything will flow smoothly.”

After judging the designs at last year’s fashion show, Quevedo came up with the idea for his fashion students to design garments for the show. He said it wasn’t difficult to get them excited about becoming involved.

“Most of the students have not yet learned how to sew,” Quevedo says. “It's their responsibility to construct their vision any way they can. For most of the students, this will be their very first design and fashion show. They are very excited to be involved with an internationally known organization like Habitat for Humanity.”

More than the experience of designing their first piece, Quevedo hopes to instill in his students a sense of community and social conscience.

“It’s essential to teach students the importance of community involvement,” Quevedo says. “Giving back to the community feeds the soul, teaches humility and supports the idea that we care about each other. This is something I have tried to do with my classes, as much as possible.”

Hard Hats and Heels: Featuring the KSU Fashion School’s Fashion Visuals Class hits the runway Dec. 10 at
8 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Ballroom. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $7 and will be sold beginning the week of Dec. 5 in the student organization offices in the Kent Student Center and on Dec. 10 at the door, beginning at 7 p.m. For more information, email jmcgree2@kent.edu.