Articles
HCC Central to host annual Spring Fashion Show on May 3
Apr 26, 2024
Estrella Padilla, left, assists her younger sister, Cesia, prepare her collection. The elder Padilla took part in the 2016 event.
Eight years ago, Estrella Padilla was a “nervous wreck” preparing for the annual Houston Community College (HCC) Spring Fashion Show. Then a student in the Fashion Design Program, she was finalizing her designs when two of her dresses ripped just before the event.
“As the models were being fitted, the fabric wasn’t good enough, and it was a very stressful moment,” Padilla said. “I was able to find new materials and put something together.”
Padilla is nervous and excited for a different reason as this year’s 2024 HCC Spring Fashion Show fast approaches. Her younger sister, Cesia Padilla, is a student designer in the May 3 event. She will be one of the models for Cesia’s dresses during the show.
“The show is amazing, and she has been so much help for me throughout this whole collection,” the younger Padilla said. “I would not have made it without her. She has been so supportive.”
The event has the theme of Chromatique and will feature fashion visions from 14 graduating design students. Models will walk the runway at 7:30 p.m. at the William W. Harmon Building on the HCC Central Campus at 1300 Holman Street.
Chromatique, the French word for chromatic, has to do with the scientific aspects of color and light. The earliest uses of chromatic, in the 1590s, only referred to music, but by the 1800s it was employed to describe color. HCC’s Fashion Chair Cheryl Whitaker said her students are “always thrilled to produce the Spring Fashion Show to showcase their exceptional talent.”
“Their unwavering passion, creativity and dedication have resulted in collections that are not only visually stunning but also thought-provoking,” Whitaker said.
The Fashion Design Program at Central offers students instruction that provides them opportunities to experience elements of design, experiment with lines, colors, fabrics, patterns, textures and styles as they create original pieces. This program offers an associate degree and certificates.
For the Padilla family, a love for fashion was inherited from their mother who was in the fashion industry in Honduras before moving to the U.S. Taking part in HCC’s Fashion Design program has allowed both sisters to grow in their craft, while honoring their mother who was their role model.
“She was a really good seamstress, but wasn’t able to go to college,” Estrella said.
“Both my mother and sister are my inspiration,” Cesia said. “This is my first time creating a full collection from scratch, but I learned a lot and this program has been good for my personal growth. I can’t wait to see models wearing my collection.”
This is the 38th year HCC has held its spring fashion show, and Whitaker hopes Houston’s fashionistas, style influencers and other artists come to see how HCC’s programs prepare students for fashion careers.
“The annual show provides an opportunity to illustrate how the institution keeps its finger on the pulse of the industry and current trends and style,” Whitaker said.
Tickets for the show are $20. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. To purchase tickets in advance, visit https://www.hccsfoundation.org/2024-spring-fashion-show.
Cesia Padilla sets up her fashion collection.