Apparel design and merchandising students finished up the semester by showcasing their clothing designs and displaying their skills at producing a fashion show at Night of Fashion at the Valley Performance Arts Center.

Their designs were judged by a panel of professionals who work in the apparel industry. On Thursday night, students focused their designs on styles such as contemporary sportswear, special occasion dresses, and bridal and ball gowns.

Marc Perez, recruiting manager for Saks Fifth Avenue, judged designs at Night of Fashion, said it was difficult to choose the best designers for the night.

“Some of the stuff is very creative,” Perez said. “This is a serious program for fashion.”

He said he has recruited students from CSUN who eventually went to work or intern at Saks Fifth Avenue.

He said he has been a judge for the event for the last three events and has seen the show progress from a small lawn event, to an event that is displayed at CSUN’s new Valley Performing Arts Center, along with a production team putting on the event.

“It really is about celebrating the hard work the designers put forth,” Perez said. “The show itself takes a tremendous amount of work to put on, just as the designers put a tremendous amount of work in their designs.”

Some of the designs exhibited at the fashion show displayed chains, studs, diamonds and ruffles. This event was a way for students to finish the end of the school year, exhibiting their knowledge in the fashion industry and what they have learned in the classroom.

Odalis Venegas, was one of the designers who presented their work on stage. “I’m excited that it is coming to an end. I would like to get feedback from people,” Venegas said. “You never know who is going to be in the audience.”

She said she started sewing at a young age, and picked up fashion design as a hobby since she was in middle school. She said she wants to have a career in apparel design and merchandising and the fashion show is usually the first place where students display their artwork to the public.

Students in the department of family consumer sciences are putting forth a hands on effort towards their careers in fashion. The production department has spent all semester organizing the event. Christina Ghadanian, fashion show coordinator, said this event took a lot of time for students to make it a success.

“People do not really understand what goes on behind the scenes.”

She said the designers put in a lot of work for their innovative ideas to become a reality. The event would not have been a success unless it is well organized. She said it was a lot of stress, but a great learning experience.

Ghadanian said this year’s show was very different than previous years. This year the show held an exhibit outside the VPAC. The exhibit had a sustainability theme, with most of the designs created by CSUN’s interior design department that created most of the designs. A design featured, was a cardboard box recliner chair. Also, for the first time ever, the fashion show had dance acts between sets.

“At the end of the day we had such a great team,” Ghadanian said.