Senior fashion design students will take a 10-hour bus trip to New York City this weekend to buy fabric.

About 34 students will leave for the second-annual bus trip around 3 p.m. tomorrow and return Sunday morning. While in New York, the students will visit a number of fabric and trim shops to buy fabric for their senior lines, said fashion design lecturer Elaine Thomas.

Although a bus trip to New York may seem like a long distance for the sole purpose of buying fabric, Thomas said it is important that students participate.

“We only have a few fabric stores around here that offer a more limited selection and style,” Thomas said. “The students need approved fabrics for all seasons, and the stores in this area carry fabrics more seasonally.”

Thomas said fabric stores in New York carry fabrics year round, instead of just for the current season. Because the students must have eight seasons of illustrations in their final portfolios, they need a wide selection of fabrics.

She said the trip also will be many students’ first time visiting New York, and it is important for students to have the experience.

Students will purchase not only fabric but also other materials such as buttons, Thomas said. Students will shop at B & J Fabrics, NY Elegant Fabric Inc., Tender Buttons, Paron Fabrics, M & J Trimming Co., Mood Fabric Inc., Yarn Connection Inc. and Barney’s New York-Madison.

Students will be supervised by faculty members when buying fabric, Thomas said. Each student must have their fabrics approved by one design instructor and one studio instructor before making any final decisions.

“There will be instructors there with the students, so they can get advice on what fabrics to buy,” said Elizabeth Rhodes, director of the School of Fashion Design and Merchandising. “By the end of the trip, most students will have bought their fabric.”

Rhodes said the supervised trip saves students from having to return fabrics that do not meet the requirements. The students are required to bring a color copy of their illustrations and a copy of their collections, so instructors can help them with their fabric needs.

The students will be spending tomorrow night at the West Side YMCA near Central Park. They will have from about 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. to finish their shopping.

Contact fashion reporter Samantha Rainwater at [email protected].