Two fashion students designed clothing that will become available for purchase in the Fashion School Store for its reopening on April 22.

Fashion design senior Elizabeth Snyder and fashion merchandising senior Emily LaBenne entered and won separate design competitions through the Fashion School.

For the ‘Zero-Waste’ design competition held three weeks ago, Snyder designed a black, draped dress that can be worn dressed-up or down. Zero-Waste garments are a form of sustainability in fashion, which means the production of the garment does not waste any fabric, Snyder said.

“It’s very exciting and rewarding to see all of this hard work and effort I’ve been putting into school pay off a little bit,” Snyder said about her award-winning dress.

Kent State’s Florence branch held a scarf design competition last semester, and professors and classmates selected LaBenne’s scarf design as the winner. The scarf is currently being manufactured in Italy before its sales in the store begin.

LaBenne’s scarf features different sections, which describe the experiences she faced during her fall 2014 semester in Italy. For example, one section of the scarf portrayed the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum LaBenne passed everyday on her way to class, she said.

“I’m really, really excited about this opportunity,” LaBenne said. “It’s my last semester, I’m graduating, so I think having my scarf sold is a really good opportunity for me.”

Although Snyder and LaBenne signed over their design ownerships to Kent State’s Fashion School, the students will receive a small profit of the proceeds, which is still being negotiated, LaBenne said.

The Fashion School Store will hold off on selling all new clothing until the grand opening at the new location of 201D E. Erie Street in Kent, the store’s manager, Karey Christie, said.

The store will sell a line of printed skirts, palazzo pants (loose, wide-leg pants for women), coordinating headbands and tank tops made of rayon, which will have a light and beach-themed looks. It will also sell a black and white collection and a floral collection of bright pinks, oranges and greens, Christie said.

Besides clothing, the Fashion School Store will offer a line of new bags for sale, Christie said.

“The new store will have an upscale boutique feel,” Christie said. “We’ll have a totally new look, new collections, and we’re really excited about the grand opening.”

The Fashion School Store will close April 4 and reopen on April 22.

Contact Kelsey Drumm at [email protected].