In honor of New York Fashion Week, the Student Merchandising Association is putting on their annual fashion show, but this year there is a twist.

On Feb. 24 The Graduate hotel will be filled with models from the University of Georgia student model organization The Agency. The clothes worn are coming straight from Athens’ local boutiques, and proceeds from the ticket sales will be donated to Peace of Thread, which teaches refugee women to make handbags.

While last year was an over-the-top, bohemian theme, this year is going in the opposite direction with a “Minimalistic Framework” theme.

“It’s professional, simplistic, with clean, neutral colors,” said Kendall Janis, the business relations executive for SMA and sophomore marketing major from Alpharetta.

Janis said that a lot of the looks are business professional, but there is a jumper that has more of a casual, sleek look.

“Because of our theme, I think the show will have more of a New York Fashion Week feel,” Janis said. “It’s going to feel like a real show.”

Kelsie Schultz, the styling committee director and senior merchandising major from Canton said that it took about 50 committee members to put this show together, 30 of which are part of the styling team.

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“The theme is a Classic French style, but more modern, with dainty details,” Schultz said. “It’s very clean.”

The styling committee goes to local stores and boutiques in Athens to sift through clothes to match the theme. They are able to pull outfits from the stores and borrow them for the show.

“We try to keep it local,” Schultz said. “That's what makes it so special, to have an Athens edge. The styling event is my favorite part of the show.”

On the night before the show, the styling team will put together a lineup of pictures of the models and outfits that they will wear on the runway.

“I would expect people to be pleasantly surprised,” Schultz said. “This will be Athens with a grown-up edge, cleaning it up, putting it together and giving it an elevated look.”

This mentality inspired the “Framework” theme. Tying such a world-renowned, global event to a local level can be difficult.

“If you sit back and think about it, you’ll say to yourself, ‘Where can I wear that?’” Schultz said.

Schultz said that it’s nice to shock culture. She said that New York Fashion Week shows are heading in a more sophisticated direction, and they want to see how it reflects the community.

“We take something that’s really big and unattainable, and bring it down locally, highlighting those aspects from New York Fashion Week to the University of Georgia’s Fashion Week, taking things that work from fashion and bringing them here, making them wearable,” Schultz said.

Madison Crowley, SMA’s president and senior consumer economics major from Gwinnett Co., said she wants people to feel classy and elegant.

“I wanted this show to be a little more sophisticated. A lot of the big shows that we see in New York are very tailored with a French look,” Crowley said. “The Boho theme has been done. We want to be original.”

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