Tucson 2024 — MakeFashion Edu

Where: Drachman, Tucson, Arizona, USA
When: 2024
Theme: “Connections”
Season book: Read the book

Student teams designed, built and modeled their own light-up pieces for the 2024 Drachman runway. The theme was “Connections”: half the collections explored connections in the natural world (pollination, seed spreading and ecosystems), and half explored how people connect, now and in the future. Tutti-Fruity is a typical example: the team shaped fruit from cheesecloth and glue, painted it, and set programmable fairy lights inside each piece. Side-lit LED strips ring the hat’s brim, so the whole design glows.

Gallery

Bee Bold: student in a bright yellow tailcoat with black stripes, bow tie and black top hat Vegging Out: student in a gold dress holding up a wide hat piled with colorful felt vegetables Tutti-Fruity: student in a sparkly silver dress under a wide hat of painted fruit, its brim ringed with light The Bat: student in black spreading wings lit with purple LED strips Tubular: student in a glowing white bodice and yellow-green tulle skirt with a lit flower headpiece Hummer: student in an iridescent green jacket, white tie and a hat topped with a hummingbird Madame Butterfly: student in a teal kimono-style top dotted with white butterflies and a butterfly headpiece Vermillion: student in a black top hat, holding a cane, with red feathers and lights at the collar Colors of the Wind: student in a white hat and a top covered in glowing puffballs, over a pastel tulle skirt Wildflower: student in a pale green ball gown wrapped with garlands of colorful lit flowers Flaming Hot: student in a red top and a red and orange tulle skirt that glows like flames By Any Other Name: student in a pink rose-inspired gown with a lit flower headpiece and glowing pink hem Mother Earth: student in a black gown scattered with bright flowers and a flower crown Decompose: student in a brown hat and a jacket covered in dark leaves Recycled Rectangles: student in a jacket and pants made of reflective recycled packaging, dotted with lights Poseidon: Water: student in a shimmering blue outfit with lights glowing like water Sunshine, Sunbright: student in a coral dress glowing with white lights and a round sun at the waist Spring: New Beginnings: student in a gold corset and pale blue tiered tulle skirt lit from within P2P: student in a purple T-shirt with a heart of two linked figures and a headband of red hearts Words: student in a green skirt hung with felt pencils and a T-shirt printed with book covers Tied Up-Cycle: student in a white T-shirt and a skirt made of upcycled neckties threaded with lights Culture Connects: student with one arm raised in a red skirt dotted with lights and a handwritten message on the top Shining Armor: student in a blue T-shirt and a skirt of mirrored diamond panels with a sequined diamond on the front Disconnect: student in a top with a red STOP sign, yellow striped sleeves and pants glowing with green lights Robot²: student in a black box robot costume with a glowing purple LED matrix screen TechConnect: student in light-up glasses and a silver jacket with glowing screen panels on the chest