Students in Somers High School’s Fashion Marketplace 1, 2, and 3 classes are using their skills to create new takes on old classics this year, culminating with “The Classics” Fashion Exhibition, which will be held on June 3, 2024.

Fashion Marketplace is a shared space made up of students from all grades and class levels. The class is a collaborative and inviting space that inspires classmates to design and create as much as they can imagine. Each year builds on the last, so garments become more intricate and inventive, broadening with the students’ increasing skill levels.

“I decided to do classic fairytales, the ones that instill the fear. I decided to use the animals, like the big bad wolf and the white rabbit so I could use fur trims, woodsy aspects, and corsets,” said Susie Signorile, a senior.

Students select their own materials and patterns and then measure their models before beginning the assembly of their garments. 

“I have to create four different garments. I’ll display my pieces with my models, mostly my friends and my sister,” said senior Robbie Donaldson. “I had to take measurements beforehand, then I got templates of their sizes, so I knew how much fabric to buy.”

Recently, these students took a trip to New York City to visit FIT’s Food and Fashion Exhibition and shopped in the garment district to buy materials to use for their custom pieces.

“I got fabric for my first two garments,” said Gemma Carr, a senior. “Then I’ll go back and get the rest because it’s a lot to get four fabrics all at once.”

Students work throughout the year to create a collection of at least four pieces, all inspired by a common theme.

“I might do five pieces because I want to do sets. It’s going to be more of the basic classics, inspired by the roaring 20s,” said Kayla Rossetti, a senior.

Many of the students from Fashion Marketplace go on to pursue fashion-related majors in college. Some are interested in fashion design, while others are more interested in the business of fashion, which could lead them to careers in merchandising, buying, or marketing.