ATM program grads show off designs at Bellevue Fashion Week

Central Washington University’s Apparel, Textiles, and Merchandising (ATM) program prides itself on a robust suite of hands-on approaches for students to hone their craft.

This year, two recent ATM graduates were selected to present their capstone project collections at the New + Next Fashion Show at the Bellevue Collection’s annual Fashion Week, marking the event’s 20^th anniversary.

Gerardo Castillo Regalado and Meli Rivera Garcia found out that they had been selected for the show early last spring as they were preparing to put together the line of clothing required for graduation from the ATM program. While these collections are ordinarily exhibited at the annual CWU Fashion Show, Castillo Regalado found some additional fuel for his fire in knowing that his work was bound for a bigger stage just a few months later.

“It was very driving, because as we were designing our lines for the CWU Fashion Show, we knew in the back of our minds that we’d be showing it in Bellevue, too,” he said. “It was incredibly motivating to put my best foot forward.”

The New + Next Fashion Show is an annual collaboration between the Bellevue Collection and the design departments at CWU, Washington State University, Seattle Central College, and Seattle Pacific University. Each school sends two student designers to be mentored by industry professionals and show off their work to the world. This year’s event was held September 26-27, and it served to help the two recent CWU graduates mark the start of their careers in style.

“This is a great opportunity for people like me who might not have access to those routes into the fashion industry,” Rivera Garcia said. “It helped me build my portfolio, and now I have that experience to put on my resume. Taking students from small counties like mine and giving them that experience is really helpful for their career.”

Rivera Garcia found inspiration for his line in his own background, and the backgrounds of those like him. Colorful and experimental, his clothing reflects his own multifaceted worldview, as well as the loved ones who helped bring it out in him along the way.

“I’m trying to communicate this love I feel as a queer person and a trans person from a Mexican American background,” Rivera Garcia said. “It was about learning my family history and expressing the deep love I feel for them through my own personal lens. My mom, my dad, and my sisters all joined in at some point.”

Likewise, Castillo Regalado was moved by the hard work and sacrifice his family put into giving him the opportunity for a better life. His line, called “Otia” after the ancient Nahuatl word for “resilience,” featured references to the labor that goes into providing for a family.

“I chose denim because of its durability — how you would usually see it in workwear — then I embellished it with rhinestones and crystals to resemble the rain falling on that workwear,” Castillo Regalado said. “It’s a nod to those hard workers who are outside no matter the weather to work for their families.”

Both designers left the show with their pockets full of business cards and their sights set on a horizon that now seems more attainable than before. ATM Program Coordinator Andrea Eklund, who served as a faculty mentor for Castillo Regalado and Rivera Garcia, noted the New + Next Fashion Show's deep and meaningful impact on the program as well as her own approach to it.

"It gives students a chance to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and apply it in a real-world setting, refining their designs, collaborating with industry professionals, and experiencing the excitement of fashion production firsthand," she said. "It also give me the chance to guide students from a fresh perspective, helping them refine their designs from early sketches and fabric selections to final fittings and the runway, all while preparing them to present their work to a broader audience."

Rivera Garcia felt that his life experience, as he had expressed it through his designs, had been validated in a whole new way. He hopes other student designers like him will seize the opportunity to be radically authentic when it shows up at their doorstep.

“Right now, it can be hard for people from my background to fully express themselves and their passion,” Rivera Garcia said. “I want people to know that they don’t have to water themselves down to be seen and appreciated. Be vocal about your experience, even if it doesn’t sell well, because people will be interested in your story, and you can help others see that they’re not alone.”