UCM student to debut collection at KC Fashion Week

A University of Central Missouri (UCM) fashion student will debut her collection during Kansas City Fashion Week (KCFW) later this month.

Lindsey Dobson, a senior from Pleasant Hill, was accepted as a student designer after the KCFW design board reviewed a portfolio of her work based on her senior collection at UCM. She is one of 34 designers who will showcase their collections on the Kansas City runway, and only a handful are students.

During the spring 2024 semester, Dobson created her debut collection, Sustainable Stitch, under her brand, Lookette. Her trend forecasting found denim was becoming a popular element popping up in runway shows. Students had also recently learned about the environmental impacts of the fashion cycle, and Dobson recalled that denim has a significant negative impact.

“I knew I didn’t want to contribute to that, so I thought, let’s just reuse denim and upcycle it. So that’s kind of how Sustainable Stitch bloomed,” Dobson explained. “With that specific line with five pieces, I saved about 75,000 gallons of water and it resonated really well with my friends and family. And I was encouraged to apply for KC Fashion Week.”

Since being accepted, Dobson has cast models, submitted makeup and hair looks to the KCFW style team and created new runway designs. She received a UCM Undergraduate Scholars Grant to assist with fabric and supply costs, which helped create her senior collection and expand it for Fashion Week.

Two pieces from Dobson’s original collection will accompany six new pieces she worked on over the last several months. Dobson said the latest iteration of Sustainable Stitch combines opposite characteristics: the durable, timeless look of denim with trendy, feminine elements.

“I wanted to prove that trendy fashion pieces don’t have to be made unethically and they can be made with the environment in mind,” Dobson said.

Dobson’s denim designs also incorporate what is known as seamless patchwork. She explained that denim patchwork is usually bold and noticeable, while she focused on making the clothing look seamless. She said it was a challenging but fun process to experiment with and that she’s learned more about garment construction.

UCM’s Fashion and Apparel Merchandising program helped expand Dobson’s lifelong love of fashion. She had been unsure if a fashion design career was feasible until she was introduced to different techniques and technologies. She shifted her major from marketing to the design side of the fashion industry.

“I could finally make my designs come out how I wanted to,” she said of using design technology instead of traditional methods. ‘It was really liberating and very enjoyable because I could never quite get it right at the end of my pencil and it’s great to have technology where I can finally produce what I see in my brain.”

UCM has partnered with Kansas City Fashion Week for several years, allowing students to volunteer at shows. They do everything from being seat fillers and helping attendees find their seats to staffing the merch table and working backstage as a designer’s assistant.

Associate Professor Melissa Abner said close to 30 UCM students will be volunteering the same night that Dobson’s collection will debut.

“They could be sitting in that seat as a freshman or sophomore and thinking, ‘Wow, that could be me in two or three years.’ I really think that’s inspirational for them and it will encourage more people to submit designs,” Abner said.

As a student volunteer, Dobson has watched designers have their moment on the runway. Soon, she’ll get to enjoy that moment herself.

“Within the past two years, (showing at KCFW) has developed into a dream. So when I was accepted, I was like, ‘No way – I’m going to be up there,’” Dobson said. “Working towards the dream has been really rewarding. And I’m so, so, so excited.”

Dobson’s designs will hit the runway during the evening show that begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25 at Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri.

For more information about KC Fashion Week or to purchase tickets to the Wednesday evening runway show, visit kcfashionweek.com. To learn more about the Fashion and Apparel Merchandising program at UCM, visit ucmo.edu/fashion.

PHOTO CUTLINE: University of Central Missouri student Lindsey Dobson works on one of the pieces for her debut collection, Sustainable Stitch, which will be featured during Kansas City Fashion Week on Wednesday evening, Sept. 25.