Mississippi State University’s Fashion Board’s second runway show this semester will take place on Nov. 29. The board consists of a diverse group of students with different interests working toward the common goal of promoting artistry of all kinds.
Mary Sullivan Benton, president of the board and senior communication major from Birmingham, Alabama, has been a member of MSU’s fashion board since her freshman year, and previously served as the group’s vice president of communication. She oversees several committees, and handles the internal and external communication.
Benton said Fashion Board is unlike any other organization on campus because it brings creativity and beauty to the community, allowing students to express themselves in a productive way. She said the group is a great way for students to gain experience and skills, even if fashion is not their major.
“I want to have a career that is in the fashion industry, but similar to the position I have now where it is more of the business side of it,” Benton said.
Michelle Jean, a junior fashion design and merchandising major from Franklin, Tennessee, said she believes it is very important for colleges to offer a diverse range of majors, including artistically-influenced majors. She said it is better to encourage more than one interest for students, so they have more opportunities in the future.
A member of the Fashion Board’s backstage crew and vendor relations committee, Jean aids in the setup and preparation of the school’s fashion shows.
The day of a show, committee members pick up clothes to be showcased from businesses around Starkville and Columbus.
The backstage crew is not only in charge of prop design and stage setup, but the theme of the show as well.
“The whole team works together on the theme,” Jean said. “We’ll bounce ideas off each other and expand on certain ones until we have a solid vision.”
Lydia Neuhoff, junior English major from Pelham, Alabama, also contributes to MSU’s fashion board.
She is a makeup artist member and a writer for the fashion department’s magazine “Etre.”
Neuhoff said she has always enjoyed makeup, and as she has grown older, it has become more of an expression of her personal style than the traditional sense of the word.
For the fashion shows, the makeup team has 20 minutes to ready each model for his or her presentation of clothing in a way to complements the specific outfit.
Neuhoff draws inspiration for these individual looks by focusing on one aspect, and developing from there.
“Of course we are all the product of what we consume,” Neuhoff said. “I usually find one thing I really like, from YouTube videos or other makeup tutorials I’ve seen, and I build off of that.”
Neuhoff said it is refreshing to relate to so many other students who are more untraditional and artistic-minded. She said she enjoys combining two of her passions as a writer for the board’s magazine.
“My dream job would be working for a creative company like BuzzFeed or Vogue, and being able to write about makeup and new style trends,” Neuhoff said. “I really think having this experience with the Fashion Board will help me later on.”
Jesse Newton, former Fashion Board designer and current junior designer at Rialto Jean Project in New York City, graduated from MSU in the spring with a degree in fashion design and merchandising.
“Fashion board was so good to me,” Newton said. “I learned how to think quickly, organize and plan a runway show, and I worked with the social media team to create content for the Instagram feed.”
Newton said the fashion and human sciences departments helped create opportunities to excel as a student. Newton said it is important to proactively create opportunities for oneself.
Newton was a featured designer at the 2016 Kansas City Fashion Week, a couture intern under Iva Ksenevich in Moscow, Russia, and a volunteer model coach for the Starkville 4-H program.
He said it was significant he constantly added to his resume and portfolio to give himself the greatest chance of success when entering the fashion industry.
He said seeing his mother’s reaction to his creation coming down the runway at the 2017 Gatsby Gala was a moment he will never forget.
“It was a very simple, elegant, backless gown that was inspired after my mother,” Newton said. “She is this truly beautiful, classic Southern woman who I love dearly.”
Newton said although he wants to stay in New York for a few years, he eventually plans to return to the south to be closer to friends and family.
“Eventually, I’d love to get my masters and teach fashion design to future generations, maybe even at MSU,” Newton said.