In a bid to test and showcase the practical knowledge of its students, the Department of Home Science and Management of the University, has organised a modeling show to display the outfits made by its 400-level students. Welcoming guests to the show, the Acting Head of Department, Dr. Adetoun Amubode, said the modelling show was an initiative of the Course Lecturer for Textile and Clothing, in which student fashion designers were encouraged to display their products to potential customers.

According to her, the show could either be indoor or outdoor, which would enable the students to be trained in the skills of making dresses and the art of modeling, that could attract high patronage. She said the modeling involved the use of corporate outfits that were creatively designed from traditional fabrics and outfits, while students would be scored based on the style of the garment used, fitting of the garment, posture and the confidence displayed.

Speaking at the occasion, the Dean, College of Food Science and Human Ecology (COLFHEC), Professor Lateef Sanni, congratulated the students for taking up the profession, adding that they could achieve anything they wanted to achieve using their outfits. According to him, this is an expertise that could make their brands known worldwide without leaving their base in Abeokuta. He advised the students to remain focused and continue to develop themselves through training and re-training, urging them to “be more creative and add more value to yourself now and after graduation in order to be the Mark and Spencer of today”.

The Department of Home Science and Management’s Fashion Show offers a platform for fashion designers to be connected to likely customers by playing prominent role in the marketing of clothes produced by the designers. They are regularly conducted to communicate to the public recent fashion trends as such trends and styles keep changing from time-to-time. In a typical fashion show, models are fashionably dressed in the clothing created by the fashion designer, by using his/her appearance to market the clothing through cat-walking in an elevated platform.
Clothing and Textile students in the HSM Department are then trained in the designing and construction of fashionable dresses suitable for the various events. As part of the requirements for the core practical course, they are given questions on how to design and construct corporate and traditional styles, which they would have to showcase during modeling so as to develop the skills and confidence amongst the students.