WILSON RUNWAY
In 2020, after I had started my first business known as Ivy Dreams (pictured to the right), I decided I wanted to create something that had nothing to do with making money or creating a label, but something that focused on building community and creativity through fashion. In turn, "Wilson Runway" was born, as well as the many jobs and titles that came with the club. Taking place at my high school, it brought and continues to bring youth together to create and develop their ideas in a safe space and share them with their own community.
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Below, are a few pictures and antidotes from the facets that made up the organization.
PALETTE 2021
Produced and modeled by less than 20 people, Palette was our first show put on for our community inspired by color and artistry. For this set, we constructed a color changing entryway that coordinated with each look. The smallest of the three shows, I took part in designing, styling, set design, sound design, lighting design, and directing.
MYTHOS 2022
Inspired by Greek Mythology, Mythos was our second show produced for the public. Our club had grown to around 40 participants and added many more looks to the show. The set for this show was based on the gates to Olympus and entirely constructed by my family and I. They were able to open and close to allow each model to step through to the runway. Once again, I was involved in design, styling, sound design, assisted with lighting design, set design, and directing.
SUPERNOVA 2023
Our third (and my final show) under the organization, Supernova was inspired by space and more specifically the race to space. By this time, our members had grown to over 100 and we had around 60 people involved in production. For this set, we created a 60s home setting with a projector showing what our couple was watching on TV, before being lifted to reveal our show. For this show, I once again was involved in design, styling, sound design, set design, directing, and the added role of being a model.
PHOTOSHOOTS
During my time, I was also able to coordinate many different photoshoots for the club centered around different themes focused on fashion styling and concepts. We included models, makeup artists, stylists, photographers, and more. Below are some photos of projects I took part in conceptualizing, styling, and many times photographing.
Gracie Dallas at Blue Marsh Lake. Styled and Photographed by Brianna Beidler.
Polaroids from winter shoot. Styled and taken by Brianna Beidler.
Gracie Dallas and Gia Bonargo in front of Cherry Blossom. Photographed by Brianna Beidler.
Olivia Rhoads, Ysabella Caraballo, and Sean Davis photographed by Brianna Beidler for Halloween shoot.
Za'Rie Crabbe, Niyani Holt, and Lara Rodriguez for the Supernova promotional shoot. Styled and photographed by Brianna Beidler.
THE PROCESS
Although the shows and the shoots are what entertain us and show the final product, they would not be there without the process of creation. From planning, to fundraising, to promoting, here are just a few details of how the process actually looked for our organization.
Pictured on the left, is the process I would use every year in order to figure out the order for the show. I would take all of the illustrations and lay them out in a cohesive order after all of the models were assigned to each look. These were then sent out to the designers and models so they could prepare.
To the right, is the map I would create for the finale walk making a mark from where all of the models would begin and end.
To the left, members visiting the local planetarium to collect design inspiration for Supernova.
Above, my family constructing and spray-painting the golden gates for Mythos 2022.
Mobile installation promoting our upcoming show featuring Niyani Holt.
Above, a photo from our annual yard sale selling donated clothes to raise money for our upcoming show.
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To the right, shooting of promotional footage for our club.
To the left, the organization and laying out of the looks on the racks before being transported.
To the right, creating lighting queues for our show.
Enjoying the final product.
Wilson Runway still continues today as my younger peers decided to take the complicated project unto themselves. You can visit them and keep up to date with all of their achievements on instagram @WilsonRunway.
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I wish them the best, and cannot wait to see where this creation leads them.
Swearing in the 2023-2024 officers.