Mini totes bags are one of the trendy items lately. FDM student club, Stole Society, led by Masisa Kim (SS president) and five dedicated FDM student officers, had the 1st-semester event – making own mini totes—on September 30th, 2024. Over 22 participants from various majors had a rich learning experience at the Miller Design Lab. They learned how to use a machine and add lace trims and other embellishments, creating cute and fancy mini totes. This hands-on experience has surely enriched their skills and will motivate them for future events. We extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you who generously donated fabrics and trims to FDM. We truly appreciate your support. Please check out @stolesociety for upcoming events and Stole workshops. 

By Minako McCarthy​

Andy Reilly, profession in FDM, gave a gallery talk at the Honolulu Museum of Art on June 8 as part of the Fashion Aloha exitigion gallery talks.  His talk, "Identity and Aloha Shirts" was the result of research he did on aesthetic preferences of aloha shirts by Hawaiian, Local, and haole men.  Dr. Reilly found that while Hawaiian and Local men select shirts that reflect the Hawaiian Islands accurately to identify themselves as not-tourists but as residents, haole men upon moving to Hawai`i go through a process of learning about shirts and change their aesthetic preferences to demonstrate they are the good haole.  During the talk, model Makana Gomes modeled different shirts as he talked about them.  Dr. Reilly will be giving this talk at an upcoming symposium in NYC in November.  

By Andy Reilly​

Recruiting future students is a vital part of maintaining a healthy college program.  Throughout the year, faculty attend college fairs at local schools and talk to students about a career in the field of fashion.  “Students often have a preconceived idea of what opportunities exist in fashion and college fairs are a good way to help students find a good fit,” Andy Reilly, professor in FDM, said. “Our presence at the college fairs benefit both the student and our program as many of the students aren’t aware that a fashion program exists at UH Manoa,” shared Dr. Cristi-Kim.

Drs. Abby Cristi-Kim and Andy Reilly attended a career and college fair at Farrington High School on April 26, 2024, to talk to potential students about the FDM program.  They estimate they met with about 100 students who expressed interest in learning more about the program and what it can do for them.  Many of the students they talked with had taken, or were planning to take, fashion courses offered at Farrington High School.  The students they talked with said they wanted to be a designer, own their own store, or work in sales.  

Their efforts have paid off as well; 114 students have applied to the FDM program for Fall 2024. 

By Andrew Reily & Abby Cristi-Kim