A Workwear Fashion Show hosted by the Career Development Center (CDC), Kearney International Center (KIC), Multicultural Center, and Women’s Center took place in Ostrander Auditorium Thursday.
The organizations invited students to walk the stage in their workwear-inspired outfits to be photographed, and speakers shared tips regarding workwear. Additionally, the event involved a series of drawings and prizes for the students.
Assistant Director in the CDC, Alexis Persons, said a lot of effort went into creating the show through the collaboration of many different departments.
“We got together to plan out what the outline would be, then plug volunteers and individuals into the different sections of the fashion show,” said Persons. “After we created the template, we had to find some awesome prizes and thankfully Graif Clothing in Mankato was gracious enough to donate us two $200 gift cards to allow students to go get some workwear after winning at the fashion show.”
Persons also said workwear is a form of expression.
“It has become more of an opportunity to show your identity and show your style,” Persons said.
Graduate assistant from the CDC, Ann Rogers, said she helped out with the event and she was captivated by the speakers’ topics.
“I enjoyed the speakers, especially the women’s studies speaker who spoke on women of color and people of color trying to fit into this traditional standard of workwear.”
Rogers also said that she found the show interesting and learned a lot from it.
“It was very educational,” Rogers said. “We went over the STAR technique which helps with interviewing skills. We also went over how to best choose a job that suits our values.”
Another graduate assistant from the CDC who helped out with the event, Julianne Pankow, said that she was very intrigued by the fashion show and what it stands for.
“I think that the world of workwear is really changing,” said Pankow. “This is a great event for students to learn that professionalism can mean whatever it means to you and how you can be authentic in what you wear to work. Students also learned about how different fields have different workwear.”
Pankow also said that the fashion show was a great success and that she was excited to see so many students engaged in the event.
“I thought that it was a great turnout,” Pankow said. “The students were very engaged in what was going on, there were some great speakers that came, and people dressed up nicely.”
Finally, Pankow said that because the show was successful, she is hopeful for more to come as she enjoyed watching the students take part.
“I really loved that the students were able to show off their clothing on the runway,” said Pankow. “I felt like they gained a lot of confidence and it was great to see them at the end of the night. It was kind of a trial, but I feel like it went really well for our first run and we have a lot of great things that we’re going to take from this to bring to next year.”
For those interested in exploring career paths or searching for job opportunities, the Career Development Center is located in 209 in the Wigley Administration building.
Write to Grace Anderson at [email protected]
Header Photo: The CDC, KIC, Multicultural Center and Women’s Center invited students to participate in a Workwear Fashion show Thursday in Ostrander Auditorium. (Nate Tilahun/The Reporter)
