All semester, students have been creating pieces both from scratch and by adding on to articles of clothing from thrift shops so they can present them to campus.

The Merchandising Design and Apparel Association is having their annual Trunk Show 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 16 in the Library Quad near the Doudna steps.

The trunk show will go on until 4 p.m. and will include pieces the organization has made by hand.

Brittany William, the adviser of the MADA, said this gives students a chance to practice retail. She said the simulation retail store would show students how to do inventory and how to handle customers.

William said it also gives them a chance to design creatively and gain a sense of visual merchandising.

“Every year we get a new set of people,” William said. “It’s kind of something fun for the students. They get to see different designs that we come up with.”

It is not all about gaining profit, William said.

“Even if people don’t buy anything, it’s all about the fashion and enjoying the day,” William said. “It’s not about money, it’s about experiencing things and having fun.”

The proceeds from the clothes bought goes back into the MADA and it helps to put on the Trunk Show for next year.

Brandon Mata, the president of the MADA, said their major goal is to have fun and bring fashion to Eastern, like it has never been brought before.

“We look at what fashion is doing and where it is going to see what is on the street and on the runway,” Mata said. “We take this inspiration and translate that into design elements that we incorporate into the clothing.”

Mata said the MADA does a lot more than make and alter clothing.  He said they foster creativity and innovation that is necessary today.

Through this event, he said, they want to relay the message that they are open, always accepting new students, and that the MADA will be at Eastern for years to come.

William said the Trunk Show gives students a sense of community through fashion.

Many of the students come from different departments and they all have a common love for fashion and design and a show like this displays that, William said.

“Everyone is creative,” William said. “But it takes a special kind of person to look at a piece of fabric and see the beauty in it.”

The MADA has a lot of offer to campus, William said.

She said they are a very integrative group as they come from different backgrounds, but work together to bring fashion to campus.

“I think that what a lot of people can see in MADA, is that we’re all about fashion weirdoes hanging out and having fun,” William said. “At the end of the day, we’re coming together to spin up something special.”

T’Nerra Butler can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]