PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — From community engagement to photography to finance, Fashion@Brown (F@B for short) provides opportunities for Brown students to hone their skills in a wide range of professional fields that intersect with the fashion industry.

Each year, the student organization’s members — which number 120 for the Spring 2020 semester — pitch in their various talents to put on Fashion Week, an event that culminates in an annual runway show featuring the work of student designers from Brown and Rhode Island School of Design.

“Our shared subject is fashion, but the skills we learn as we plan Fashion Week pertain to a number of different industries,” said Sasha Pinto, a junior literary arts concentrator at Brown and the group’s president.  “We create a microcosm of the fashion industry to teach ourselves how to fill the many roles within it.”

This spring — shortly before novel coronavirus forced a transition to remote learning at Brown — F@B’s 10th Annual Runway Show featured looks by 12 student designers, the show’s largest number to date. From the start of fall term until the show, designers met each week to conceptualize, plan and execute their runway pieces. 

“So much of the handiwork in these garments looks purely artistic, but at the same time so much math, critical thinking and communication go into the process,” said Sebastian Immonen, a first-year member of the design team who is studying international relations and apparel design through the Brown-RISD Dual Degree Program. “Doing this work alongside each other allows us to create a better body of work.”

The slideshow above offers some glimpses from behind the scenes and under the runway lights.