Under candle lights and a large audience, the Fullerton Fashion Association hosted its second annual runway, showcasing six student designers with a theme of masquerade.
Hailey Martinez, a current student at California State University, Fullerton, hosted her first showcase on April 30, bringing together emerging fashion designers and models, including Mt. SAC’s very own Melody Hall and an alumnus, Litzy Aguilar, who was also an integral part of the runway showcase.
For Martinez’s first showcase, the process was anything but easy. She was faced with many challenges, having to coordinate with up to 38 participants while balancing months of planning and the pressures of bringing everything together. Despite the overwhelming work, she remained determined to continue and put her all into every detail of the show.
“It’s a lot, but it truly paid off so well, literally. It feels so incredible to do this and to put this on,” Martinez said
With the show finally being brought to life, the spotlight shifted to the aspiring designers, each translating their own vision through their carefully crafted looks. Inspired by the masquerade theme, many incorporated medieval influences, artistic elements and storytelling into their designs. Through their hand-sewn fabrics and intricate beadwork, all deliberate details carried a deep meaning beyond the runway.
Anthony Lorenzo Gonzalez opened the runway, who presented his collections featuring 10 models who brought his designs to life. Gonzalez has been designing for about two years, showing strong dedication to his designs and fashion. His motivation comes from bringing his ideas to life and creating clothing that fits exactly the way he envisioned.
“It was just the love for the game, honestly. There’s no specific reason. I’m not doing it for the money,” Gonzalez said.
His biggest inspiration for the show was to give his ideas space to develop and learn how to design with or without a theme, something he described as a designer’s “biggest friend.” As he slowly returned to designing, he focused on improving piece by piece through consistent practice.
When asked about his reason and his reason to continue, Gonzalez made it clear that he is not driven by money, but by growth. For him, fashion is a way to push boundaries and create something outside of the ordinary.
Khalid Fraihat followed Gonzalez’s showcase, and took over the runway, introducing a collection that expanded the masquerade theme in a whole new way. Fraihat was introduced to fashion through his sister, who guided him and gave him hands-on experience, including design and photography. Much of what he learned had come from working with her talent agency, which had previously supported a small clothing brand in Los Angeles.
He later on carried those skills into his studies in Market Information Systems, which he described as applicable across multiple industries, including fashion, the music industry and entertainment.
“That’s the thing that really got me into fashion,” Fraihat said.
Fraihat believes that one can express oneself through many different ways and fashion is one of the many forms there is, since it is art.
“You can express yourself any way you want. It’s your own image that you love to create and like to modify,” Fraihat said. His biggest inspiration for the runway was his interest in medieval times, getting his inspiration from paintings and movies that had helped him create a concept based on the theme he was given.
For Fraihat, his passion and education go hand in hand.
“I would consider this like a side thing because my priority is education,” Fraihat said.
Although he is very grateful for his major and its opportunities, his involvement within the fashion industry allows him to apply what he learned and to continue developing his skills through hands-on experiences.
Commitment between education and personal growth is true for Mt. SAC alumnus Litzy Aguilar, currently attending CSUF as well, as she took on the runway for her first time. Since it’s her last year at CSUF, Aguilar decided to go big and beyond, deciding to model as a 5 ‘1 person.
“What’s meant for me will be, and here we are. I still can’t believe I walked down the runway for the first time,” Aguilar said.
Leah Ramirez followed Aguilar, who introduced her collection and marked her first time participating in a fashion show. Ramirez has been designing since she was young, firstly being introduced to fashion through her grandmother, who began sewing at the age of six.
While Ramirez started creating her own pieces last year, her connection to fashion design has been long-lasting.
Growing up, Ramirez and her father would create intricate Halloween costumes together, an experience that helped her come across her passion for design. She later expanded her skills after being introduced to a fashion designer in the Los Angeles Fashion District, who taught her how to sew and the basics of how the industry operates.
For the showcase, Ramirez drew inspiration from corsets and intricate masks, incorporating those elements into her designs. While she acknowledged that her pieces may not be as detailed as she initially envisioned, she remained proud of the efforts she had put into bringing her designs to life.
Ramirez’s motivation is to design something she sees herself pursuing in the long run, wanting more than a traditional desk job.
“I can see myself designing and helping people feel good about themselves,” Ramirez said.
Selene Agudo introduced her collection, each design revealing a deeper meaning that is woven into every detail. This is Agudo’s second semester in fashion design, and her second time designing for the runway.
Agudo said her interest in fashion began with Barbie. She reflected on watching a show as a child where a designer explained how clothing can be used to express creativity and individuality. Now with the opportunity to design and showcase her own work, Agudo has continued to build on that passion, growing up learning about the history of fashion and watching runway shows.
Agudo talked about the inspiration behind her designs which came from her time spent in a corporate internship position, witnessing how creativity is often overshadowed by speed and commercial priorities. In those environments, work is often produced quickly with a focus on marketability, leaving behind spaces for originality.
Studying advertising had created pressure for Agudo to prove not only herself but also to be more visible, especially as artificial intelligence is becoming more and more present in the creative fields and raising doubts about time, skills and originality.
“But I think also it becomes bigger with the AI and the people, it’s like, ‘oh, you make this?’ Or I don’t know, [people say] ‘I don’t think you have the capacity to do this’,” Agudo said, describing how skepticism feels discouraging.
In response, her designs revolved around the sacred heart, portraying creativity as something human and boundless. Elements like the sharp, spartan forms and the reflective details emphasize strength and imagination. While other elements drew influences from Catholic imagery, in particular the sacred heart, Agudo blends religious symbolism with the contemporary perspective on creative identity.
“I was also inspired by Catholicism and astrology, with the moon, in zodiac science,” Agudo said.
Continuing the showcase’s momentum, Anya Woods offered a collection that pushed the masquerade theme further, marking it the first runway Woods had ever designed for.
She was introduced to fashion in an organic way, developing her interest through reading and watching fashion shows as she grew up. Coming from a small town where individuality and fashion were limited, the early exposures sparked her desire to pursue design.
“I lived in a very small town. There was like no individuality, like no fashion whatsoever,” Woods said.
Her inspirations came from the early 2000s runways, as well as films and series from the same era. Woods approached this collection as a learning experience. Still, at the beginning of her journey, she described the project as an early experiment and an opportunity to refine her skills and begin shaping her voice within the fashion world.
As the showcase came to an end, Erika Hurtado introduced the last and final collection, leaving the audience with a lasting impression of the night’s creativity.
Hurtado has been sewing ever since she was little due to her mom being a seamstress and allowing her to sew beads on a dress when her mom needed help.
“I feel like sewing is something I have always known how to do, ” Hurtado said.
Pursuing fashion design, she went to school to get her bachelor’s degree in knitwear and is currently getting a master’s in costume design.
What inspires her to continue to do fashion is the artistic side of fashion, and what helps her continue creating things are movies. Her passion for film allows her to create costumes for films like Mad Max and Scary Road, with those genres really carrying inspiration for Hurtado. Her main inspiration for the collection was the seven deadly sins; she wanted to take it in a dark fantasy direction, using elements from the 80s dark fantasy labyrinth.
Fear of the average keeps Hurtado going.
“I just need a creative outlet, I don’t think I can live an average life. I think I’d probably kill myself,” Hurtado said. “If you continue to do it, it causes you to love it.”
Among the models who were featured in Hurtado’s collection, Melody Hall made her runway debut. Nervous before walking, Hall continuously reminded herself that everything would be okay.
“Modeling for the first time was honestly really fun and exciting for me. At times, I felt a bit nervous,” Hall said.
Her passion to be a model began at a young age, as she had always been interested in fashion and makeup. She recalled that even in kindergarten, when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, Hall immediately knew she wanted to be a model. That passion only continued to grow as she got older.
“Being able to bring a piece to life on the runway, that’s when I really like being locked in and was like, yes, I wanna do that,” Hall said.
As the final look exited the runway, the showcase had concluded, leaving behind a display of emerging designers who are extremely talented with creative expression.
Each designer and model had contributed their own thing to all these collections, which reflects back not only through individuality but also collaboration within the fashion space.
