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Ai Student Designs in the Spotlight at Runway Houston X

The Art Institute of Houston 2018 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design graduating class opened the tenth season of the Runway Houston show with their senior collections, with over 600 people watching from the audience.

The first on stage was the vibrant Spring/Summer 2019 Technibird Collection by Sanaz Ekhlassi, who drew inspiration from hummingbirds and the complexity and beauty in nature. Her designs used feathers as well as fabric featuring pixels from highly pixelated images of birds and flowers, combined in a way to create breathtaking and bold geometric patterns.

The second of the 2018 Fashion Design class to go was Arielle Birt, a former intern with Runway Houston whose animal kingdom-inspired collection “GAPAK” was another hit on the runway. Her clothing incorporated recycled materials, and her women’s wear designs were each made in a size 14 to showcase beauty and power in the average American woman’s size.

Following Arielle was Nafisha Lakhani. Her collection “Gujarat Fusion” displayed the traditional olive green, orange, and burgundy colors of the town in India where her father was raised. Nafisha’s collection included stunning ready-to-wear fusion pieces carefully hand-embroidered and embellished with mirrors.

Next came Blanca Vargas, who embraced the use of iridescent taffeta, black netting, embroidered lace, and handmade flowers from Chiapas, Mexico in her collection “Three Flower.” The handmade flowers were a uniting element across her designs, which all integrated Mexican culture into strong, modern, and feminine designs.

For Alina Molina, her “Sweet Blossoms” collection was a nine-month labor of love, with her creativity also sparked by the allure of flowers in nature. Her designs featured floral patterns with lovely spring hues and romantic, flowing fabrics. Alina also recently worked on a music video for superstar Drake doing alterations behind the scenes.

Kelli McKinley wrapped up the senior Ai Houston Fashion Design student show with her “Private Jane” collection. Her designs highlighted military-inspired styles and shades like gray, green, and black along with rich navy and mustard yellow hues. Kelli also used repurposed materials as accents and accessories, including designing a romper with adjustable side straps created from recycled military duffle bags.

For more about the Runway Houston X show, visit https://www.houstoniamag.com/slideshows/2018/10/3/runway-houston-x .