The Black Students’ Alliance pulled out all the stops for this year’s BSA Fashion Show, this year hosted in its largest venue yet. The show featured designs from RPI students and local artists alike, with all designs modeled by student volunteers for the event.
The theme of this year’s show, “Fashion Engineered,” as named by BSA, is a subversive take on the traditional boundaries between art and technology. Clothing is designed using methods very similar to those in engineering, accounting for comfort, flexibility, durability, and style in every piece made. Through “Fashion Engineered”, designers were given the freedom to showcase the more technical side of their art, drawing attention to the many ways they have to act as engineers in their work.
The first showcased designer was Knare Pedraza, an electrical engineering student from Norfolk State University who also has a passion for textiles. His collection included a series of rigid, boxy outfits that alluded more to brutalist architecture than wearable outfits. Using newspaper, puzzle-piece patches, and other unorthodox materials, each outfit was nevertheless a functional piece that models could wear across the stage and pose with for the cameras.
After that was the show’s only RPI-native designer, Tiffany Suporn ’26. Able to finally pursue her passion in art while enrolled in a tech school, she used the fashion show to further develop her personal brand, which was being built alongside her technical skills.
The last showcase of the night featured the Mikael Pono brand by designer Pono Skousen. Drawing on his Hawaiian upbringing, Skousen approaches fashion from an ecological perspective, incorporating strong ties to the natural world into his designs. With soft, flowy fabrics of beige, green, blue, and pink, his works feel earthy and grounded. Furthermore, he emphasizes sustainability in his art, making materials from “invasive plant species in New York City” and transforming “leaves and organic waste to create moldable, durable sheets.”
Aside from the artist’s stunning designs, the show also offered musical and performing arts. In the middle of the show, performers from RPI’s Dance Club took the stage and captivated the audience with an elegant ballet routine. The dancers pirouetted in long, flowing black skirts, metallic tops, and pointe shoes, adding a touch of futurism to their dance. On another note, a musical interlude took place during Pono Skousen’s presentation, featuring a harpist playing a light, intricate melody. As she gracefully strummed her instrument, an electric guitar track began to play on a speaker, unconventionally complementing the peaceful harp sound with a bold, electric solo. After their mesmerizing performance rang out, models from Mikael Pono began to walk the stage once again.
The BSA Fashion Show is an annual reminder of the creative and cultural excellence that persists across RPI’s campus and beyond, as well as the importance of the arts within our school. Knare Pedraza, in his closing remarks, compares building circuits as an electrical engineer to creating art, carrying out the show’s initiative of bridging the gap between fashion and engineering. With this year marking the show’s largest turnout, there is no doubt that BSA will continue to impress with their annual tradition in years to come.
