Eagle County students showcase their fashion skills during in-school edition of Project Funway
'The creativity is infectious' as students assemble designs made from anything but fabric, model in front of their classmates
Zoe Goldstein/Vail Daily
Eagle County is home to many budding fashion designers and models.
This became apparent at four in-school Project Funway shows hosted at Eagle County schools last week. Project Funway is a fashion show that raises money to support the Education Foundation of Eagle County (EFEC), which supports the county’s public education efforts.
This year, five Eagle County middle and high schools hosted or will host in-school Project Funway shows ahead of the “real” Project Funway at Dobson Ice Arena on March 22: Gypsum Creek Middle School, Berry Creek Middle School, Eagle Valley Middle School, Homestake Peak School and Red Canyon High School.
At both the in-school shows and the primary show, the main rule of Project Funway is simple: Designers can use anything but fabric to construct their high-fashion designs.
The Eagle Valley Middle School in-school Project Funway show featured designs from 12 teams of sixth through eighth graders, ranging from a basketball-inspired costume to a space-inspired dress.
Support Local Journalism
Student teams began creating the designs for the competition at the start of the school year in their Exploratory class.
The Exploratory class at Eagle Valley Middle School is led by Daniel Rudolf. Students choose two competitions to participate in throughout the year from options including Brain Bowl, Science Olympiad, Project Funway and more.
Tracy Teetaert, gifted and talented teacher with the Eagle County School District, led the students through the Project Funway competition.
“Look around. Look at everybody’s designs, and look at what you have accomplished,” Teetaert said to students at Eagle Valley Middle School just before their fashion show began on Thursday. “You guys have all done a fabulous job, and you’ve all worked hard … You need to be proud of yourselves.”
How did Project Funway come to schools, and how was this year different?
Project Funway first came to an Eagle County School District school as an elective class for students in the gifted and talented program, with the goal of exposing them to competitions.
“As the event has grown in popularity, the creativity is infectious,” said Wendy Rimel, president and executive director of the Education Foundation of Eagle County.
While the event started at one school, it grew quickly as other schools added the option. “It was like dominoes,” Rimel said.
This year was the fourth year of Project Funway at Eagle Valley Middle School.
But it was the first time students were given a budget by the Education Foundation of Eagle County to fund their projects.
“That’s so cool, because it added to the curriculum and the learning,” Rimel said. “Not only were they going in and saying, ‘I want to be creative, I want to use something different,’ they had to look at their money, put together a budget, figure out how to finance it.”
Teams were provided with $150 to spend, but first had to create a budget for what they would do with the money. Students were not allowed to spend it on food or drink, Teetaert noted.
Students incorporate unconventionality, creativity, craftsmanship and presentation into designs
Student teams spent months designing and crafting their fashion pieces.
“They have a whole portfolio that they work through of different fashion design,” Teeteart said.
Students were assessed across four categories: unconventionality, creativity, craftsmanship and presentation.
During the Eagle Valley Middle School in-school fashion show, each of the 12 teams picked one of its members to model its design, walking a red carpet in the school’s gym in front of a team of five judges, bleachers full of fellow middle schoolers and invited family members and friends.
“It’s such a great experience (for the students); to come out and walk this in front of your whole school is no small feat,” said Tessa Kirchner, vice president of the Education Foundation of Eagle County.
The seventh-grade team of Makenzie Mitzlefelt, Elyse Perejda and Imogene Martinez created a design they called “The Crimson Rose Butterfly.”
The masquerade-style dress took them a month or two to construct, the team said, and consisted of binder sheet protectors hot glued to a hoop skirt. The dress was decorated with origami roses made from recycled paper and spray painted and accompanied by wings and a mask.
The newcomers to Project Funway tied for first place with “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover.” They said they will be back next year and will begin planning their design for next year’s show now.
The team made up of Harper Metzler, Eliana Barnwell, Jonna Lanker and Sage Turner created “April Showers Bring May Flowers.”
“Welcoming spring is what we were thinking about, because spring is after Project Funway,” Metzler said.
Their hand-sewn dress, which took about a month to assemble, also contained a hoop skirt base, plus a corset wrapped in bubble wrap, with loofahs, gum wrappers and ribbon bows for added decor. Metzler walked down the runway to “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus.
The judges announced first, second and third place winners, as well as a best in show award. The team that won the best in show award — sixth graders Tenley and Hayden Stolfzus, Ellie Brooks and Abbie Greene for their design “Chip, Chip Boom — It’s Raining Chips” — will show off their design on the Project Funway runway at Dobson Ice Arena on March 22.
Rimel said her heart was “bursting out of my chest in total joy for the smiles on these kids’ faces, and the lessons that they’re learning,” following the Project Funway show.
“You never know what impact it has on their futures, and our collective future as a community,” Rimel said.
