Golden Magazine, a University of Minnesota student-run fashion and lifestyle magazine, will present the “Dare 2 Be Golden” runway show at Fashion Week MN Thursday at 6 p.m. at W Minneapolis – The Foshay.
According to Ava Ojo, the production team lead at Golden Magazine, four student and five local designers will be featured at the event.
This is the second time Fashion Week MN is featuring Golden Magazine in their programming, Ojo said. The first time was in fall 2021.
The team has been preparing for the event since January, Ojo said. Along with the nine designers featured in the runway show, a pop-up event beforehand will showcase collections from five Minnesota-owned vendors.
Ojo does not underestimate the importance of recognizing the work of student designers, especially at large-scale events like Fashion Week MN. Ojo said this event will give students opportunities to gain exposure and network as well as show their creative vision to the Twin Cities community.
“Having these designers showcase their work, I mean it’s important for everyone to see,” Ojo said. “There’s more opportunities for everybody.”
Fashion as an art form
One of the student designers featured in “Dare 2 Be Golden” is Jaylee Rosand, a second-year product design major. This event will mark her fashion show debut.
Rosand began sewing when she was 8 years old, after her grandma taught her how to make doll clothes. However, it wasn’t until she was 12 that she started making clothes for herself.
“I remember realizing that I could make my own clothes the same way I’d been making doll clothes, just on a bigger scale,” Rosand said.
Some of Rosand’s biggest inspirations for her design style include ‘90s runway shows and designers like Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood. As a big fan of historical fashion, she said she enjoys modernizing traditional clothing in her collections, especially from the Victorian Era.
Rosand’s Fashion Week MN pieces fall under a few different themes, one of which involves her biracial identity, a major influence on Rosand’s work. Rosand, who is half-Korean and half-white, said some of her pieces are inspired by Korean culture and include an ink print that mimics East Asian writing characters.
Rosand said she wishes fashion was highlighted as an art form more often, especially for young people who may have fresher takes that deserve to be showcased.
“There’s always going to be new perspectives and new talent and I think it’s good to always kind of keep updating the scene,” Rosand said.
