Second-year Fashion Design major Briana Ruffin walked off the Philly Fashion Show runway on Wednesday, September 21 with a first-place win in the student competition, for the first time in Harcum school history.
Competing against nine other students, most from four-year schools, Ruffin's ingenious upcycled creation made from second-hand clothes was a flirty, casual head-to-toe look with a denim jacket. Each contestant was allowed to shop for ten pounds of recycled materials (garments and remnants) from Fab Scrap and given two weeks to create an ensemble.
She was as shocked as anyone that she won since she had never done upcycling before. She was supposed to have had two fittings with her model, but the model was on the runway during New York City Fashion Week for the first fitting and nothing fit at the second fitting, so three days before the show, she was scrambling to make the outfit work.
One ingenious piece of her winning outfit that has captured a lot of attention was the jeans jacket she made from four different pairs of jeans. The sleeves comprise two different pairs and the cuffs of the sleeves are made from another pair. “I wanted to give it a distressed denim 90s look,” she said. From the back of the jacket another pair of jeans is visible with pants pockets lining the hem.
She had to submit photos of the materials she acquired so the judges could see how much of the materials she actually used. One of the goals of the competition was to submit as little waste as possible. Since she picked up shorts and a denim skirt in addition to the jeans, she wore the denim skirt to the competition because “it was cool, and why not represent FabScrap as well.”
She has already numerous inquiries as to how to order her distressed-denim jacket. When asked how she would price the item, she said she is learning that now in her Harcum classes.
“In such a short amount of time, I have gained so much at Harcum,” Ruffin said. “I was glad Harcum got some recognition. It’s a great program.”
She won $1,000 and a private consultation with founder of NY Fashion Week and legend, Fern Mallis.
She started the Harcum program in 2015 but had to withdraw for a time due to life. “At 28, I’m in a much better place to get through school. It’s hard, but this is something I truly love. I take advantage of every opportunity to come my way.”
“Bri is a perfect representative of Harcum and what makes us different and wonderful,” said Julian Crooks, Fashion Programs director. “Apparently the judges were unanimous, they thought her work was fresh, wearable, and had that Philly ‘cool.’”
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