WKU fashion merchandising students are volunteering at New York Fashion Week on Friday for the second time this year.

Fashion merchandising students first received the opportunity to travel and volunteer at Fashion Week in February, which marked the first of two New York Fashion Weeks during the year.

Students will be assisting both backstage and throughout the event at Friday’s dedicated event, New York Men’s Day, which showcases up-and-coming menswear brands.

Seth Howard, a WKU fashion merchandising instructor, arranged this opportunity for his students through his connections with the founder of New York Men’s Day and the PR agency involved.

At the February Fashion Week, students did tasks ranging from helping the designers get the models ready to handing out event programs, Howard explained. 

“It’s a great resume builder and something to put on there for their professional experience,” Howard said. “But it’s also really great for networking and starting to build relationships with other people who are in the industry that can be professional contacts for them moving forward.”

Katy McDonald, a freshman fashion merchandising major, is an aspiring fashion designer who is looking forward to getting real experience in the industry. 

“As someone who wants to go into fashion design, but not really knowing where to start, I thought this was an amazing opportunity to meet people and see what’s really happening out there,” McDonald said. 

Kyle Hawkins, a sophomore fashion merchandising major, is motivated by the prospect of being surrounded by other like-minded creative individuals. 

“It’ll really help me to get that hands-on experience,” Hawkins said.

When asked about the future of this unique experience for his students, Howard was enthusiastic in its continuation. 

“It’s a huge help and relief for them [Fashion Week staff] to get, you know, a dedicated group of people that are there just to help out,” Howard said. “And so as long as we have the students who are interested in going and participating, I can see it continuing.”

News Reporter Apollo Menéndez can be reached at [email protected]