For nearly six decades, the annual fashion exhibition at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has been a signature showcase of creativity and craft. This year’s show, Lasting Legacies, marked the 59th—and final—edition of the traditional format, as the Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising (FDM) looks ahead to a new chapter.
Held on May 2, the student-led event brought 12 senior mini-collections, two group lines by juniors, and nearly 90 models to the runway at the UH Mānoa Campus Center Ballroom. Each piece told a story of heritage, resilience and personal growth.
“Many of our students are going to work in the fashion industry, and this gives them the experience of creating a collection 100% by themselves,” said FDM instructor and student mentor Minako McCarthy. “They find their inspirations, set up their storyboards and then move into designs, making a garment, and staging their models.”
Designing every detail
From concept to catwalk, students handled it all: design, construction, media production and event logistics.
Elliana (Yana) Abcede, the production lead, managed the massive effort behind the scenes.
“I became more assertive and decisive. You cannot be a people pleaser in this position. You learn when to say no, when to say yes, and to trust your decisions,” Abcede said.
Senior designer Hniang Sung based her line of clothing, Chin Legacy, on her upbringing in Burma’s Chin State.
“I took inspiration from traditions, cultural symbols, and childhood memories. It is a way to showcase my cultural background and uplift the people of Myanmar,” she shared.
Student designers Eleanor Osterloh and Marisa Kim also made bold statements on the runway with their collections, Bone House and Grit and Glitz.
A new chapter
“Fashion changes, but style endures,” said iconic clothing designer Coco Chanel. And so change has come for the long-running fashion exhibition at FDM. With a long and proud history within FDM, the family and consumer sciences department and College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, organizers said next year it will return, revised and refreshed.
