NDSU’s Fashion, Apparel &Business Organization takes their annual fashion show virtual

For two days, the student organization will post photos on Facebook and Instagram highlighting student designers and local businesses that promote this year's theme of sustainability

FARGO, N.D. — Students involved in NDSU’s Fashion, Apparel and Business Organization look forward to the end of April all year long.

It means it’s time for the annual fashion show, where members get the chance to showcase their designs and see all of their hard work pay off.

With the COVID-19 pandemic threatening to cancel this year’s show, the student-run organization was determined to find a way to keep things rolling.

“It really did take some adjusting but we were not going to give up,” said FABO’s president Maggie Barrett. “We came to the conclusion to do this virtual format because the show must go on.”

The show, entitled RE: Fashion, will take place on social media. Instead of models walking down runways, the group will spend two days highlighting designers through photos posted to their Facebook and Instagram pages.

Along with student designers, the show also puts a spotlight on local businesses.

Some of the stores that are featured in the 2020 show include downtown Fargo’s Violet Vintage and Carmine and Hayworth, shops that help promote the theme of sustainability.

“What a lot of people don’t realize is that the fashion industry is one of the largest polluting industries in the world,” explained Barrett. “What we wanted to do this year for our theme is to use our platform to educate others how you don’t need to jeopardize your style to do your part to save the planet.”

Organizers say some of the best ways to make sure you have a sustainable closet is to only buy things you need, know where and how your clothes are made, and to repurpose.

“You can find such unique and beautiful pieces at thrift stores and it saves so much on waste and carbon emissions,” says Barrett.

The virtual show will have an educational aspect as well, with graphics of other tips to shop sustainably and the best places around town to do so.

Students involved in FABO hope that through these graphics and photos, the audience can enjoy the same kind of talent and designs that are showcased every year at NDSU.

The virtual show can be found on the organization’s Facebook or Instagram.