Eight Homewood students participating in Birmingham Fashion Week

Fashion is taking its next step forward in eight Homewood houses this month, as students prepare to compete in Birmingham Fashion Week’s Rising Design Star Challenge.

This is the sixth year for Birmingham Fashion Week, and the Rising Star Challenge will be held Aug. 25-27 at Boutwell Auditorium. The Challenge invites middle and high school students to submit their fashion designs for this year’s theme, “Future of Fashion.” 

The chosen semifinalists, including eight Homewood students, get the chance to turn their designs into real outfits to show off on the runway Aug. 25-26, with the top three finalists taking home scholarships and cash prizes on Aug. 27.

Before their models hit the catwalk, meet Homewood’s next generation of fashion designers.

Harlan Alford

6th grade, Homewood Middle School

Though he’s the youngest of Homewood’s semifinalists, 12-year-old Harlan Alford said he has wanted to be a fashion designer since he was about eight.

Drawing, fashion and baking are longtime interests for Alford, so he said he was excited to learn about the Fashion Week’s challenge in school. 

Alford said his design for the Rising Star Challenge is based off of general ideas of the future and what he expects future trends to be. His outfit includes some unusual materials such as aluminum foil, mirrors and black duct tape, as well as hair extensions on the skirt.

“I am looking forward to meeting other designers and seeing my look go down the runway. I’m so happy that I had this opportunity and that I took it,” Alford said.

Dalia Almansoob

7th grade, Homewood Middle School

Twelve-year-old Dalia Almansoob is getting ready for her first time participating in the Birmingham Fashion Week Rising Star Challenge.

Her design includes peacock feathers and flowers.

Madeline Kline

8th grade, Homewood Middle School

This is Madeline Kline’s second year participating in Birmingham Fashion Week. She said last year “was kind of a rush” and she’s looking forward to it again.

“I love to make sketches … of dresses I think would look good on my friends or would fit their personality,” 13-year-old Kline said.

Kline said she enjoys the process of constructing her designs and working with different materials. For the “Future of Fashion” theme, Kline said she imagined what would be considered “retro” in the future. Her design incorporates plastic and duct tape into the dress.

Aside from her Rising Star Challenge design, Kline said she has made some other projects such as aprons and purses, and has learned how to applique designs and hem clothing.

Since she’s a returning competitor, Kline said she knows some of her fellow rising stars.

“I’ll be really excited to see them and see their designs,” Kline said.

Matthew Pierce

10th grade, Homewood High School

Matthew Pierce is another second-time Birmingham Fashion Week participant. While it was stressful, Pierce said the fun outweighed that.

“Honestly, when I got accepted into it, I had the time of my life,” Pierce said. “It was hot, but it was tons of fun.”

From seeing the other designers’ work to the pride of watching a model wear his design, Pierce said the 2015 Challenge made him want to do it all again.

Pierce said he enjoys the Rising Design Star Challenge as an art project more than a fashion project. His design is a “futuristic masquerade” that includes crescent moons, body paint and a mask into the outfit.

“The entire experience as a whole, even though it’s really stressful, I know I’m going to remember Birmingham Fashion Week 20 years from now, 30 years from now, for the rest of my life,” Pierce said.

Rigdon Hendrix

10th grade, Homewood High School

Going into his third year as a participant, Rigdon Hendrix is a veteran of the Rising Star Challenge. He took third place in his first year and second place last year.

Hendrix said he first heard about the challenge while he was home-schooled. He enjoyed designing and creating things, but was surprised to be chosen as a semifinalist.

“I like to make things, I like to draw and stuff, but fashion wasn’t really an interest before this,” Hendrix said. “It’s extremely fun and a great outlet for creativity.”

Since he hopes to make a future career in a creative field, Hendrix said he sees the challenge as a chance to get his name and his skills into the public eye. His design, he said, is inspired by the idea of anonymity online and incorporates a hood to symbolize hiding the wearer’s identity.

Seeing other competitors’ designs is one of his favorite parts of Birmingham Fashion Week.

“It’s always fun when they’re out on display for everyone to see,” Hendrix said. “It’s always cool and never lets me down.”

Anna Corinne Lee

11th grade, Homewood High School

Anna Corinne Lee has many different creative outlets, including makeup, singing, piano and painting. While she enjoys fashion, Lee said she’s never been very good at sewing. With the Rising Design Star Challenge’s emphasis on unusual materials, it seemed like a good fit.

“I’ve been into fashion ever since high school. While I would say I’ve always had an eye for fashion, I really began finding my own style when I started high school,” 16-year-old Lee said.

Lee decided to make her design represent that time is always changing. Her dress is made of coffee filters, broken CDs, wire and duct tape.

“I’m so excited for the Birmingham Fashion Week! I can’t wait to show off all my hard work on the runway, especially since I’ve never done anything like this before,” Lee said.

Demi Shamsi-Basha

11th grade, Homewood High School

It was the runway, not the designer’s sketchbook, that got Demi Shamsi-Basha involved in Birmingham Fashion Week. Shamsi-Basha was a model for friends participating in the challenge for two years, and the experience made her want to try the challenge herself.

“I’ve noticed all the creativity and fun that goes into Birmingham Fashion Week and wanted to give it a go. I feel like I have the creative skills to be involved and to have fun with the competition and my design,” she said.

Now 16 years old, Shamsi-Basha said she has been interested in fashion for a long time, especially since her mother, Dee Tipps, owns a.k.a. Girl Stuff in downtown Homewood. Her design for this year is inspired by space exploration.

“I am getting one of my best friends to model for me, and I could not be more excited about seeing her on the runway wearing my design,” Shamsi-Basha said.

Camille Colter

11th grade, Homewood High School

A behind-the-scenes look at Birmingham Fashion Week in 2014 inspired 16-year-old Camille Colter to participate in 2015 and again this year.

Colter’s mother was a judge in 2014 and also helped Colter get interested in fashion at a young age. 

“I became interested in fashion very young because my mother always loved fashion, but it became more important in my life when I was eight and learned to sew. After that, I realized I wanted to be involved in the fashion world when I’m older,” Colter said.

For the “Future of Fashion,” Colter took inspiration from this year’s Met Gala. Her outfit includes a checkered body suit underneath see-through gown.

“I’m looking forward to being in the Birmingham Fashion Week atmosphere and seeing my design and my friends’ designs walk the runway,” Colter said.

Chloe Miller

Indian Springs High School

Sixteen-year-old Homewood resident Chloe Miller will be the ninth student representing her city in the Birmingham Fashion Week challenge.