Sew Promising

Photograph by Laura Barisonzi

EXAMS, THESIS PROJECTS, RAMEN NOODLES — the end of the spring academic term is not usually pretty. For the participants of Boston’s inaugural Graduate Fashion Week, though, the hard work and all-nighters have a far more glamorous payoff.

From the end of April through mid-May, students from area fashion design programs will showcase their collections in formal presentations, complete with full production lighting, models, audiences, and (duh) runways. For the majority of the designers, this will be the first time their work will be open to public view.

“We wanted to do something in the spring that made sense for the Boston community,” says Jay Calderin, founder and executive director of Boston Fashion Week. “That meant focusing on all the graduations. And in fashion, that means fashion shows.”

While eye-catching garb and artistry will certainly take center stage, Calderin’s ultimate aim is for the effects of Graduate Fashion Week to build Boston’s fashion industry and community. “We want to create an environment where the good [designers] want to stay and consider this home,” he says. “They should see this as where they cut their teeth, and really started to create their identity and find their voice.”