The Kent State University Museum held a reception for “Fashion Meets the Body: Juried KSU Faculty Exhibition” Tuesday evening in Rockwell Hall.

The event started with welcoming remarks from John Crawford-Spinelli, the dean of the College of the Arts; Rachel Delphia and Margaret Powell, jurors from the Carnegie Museum of Art; and Linda-Ohrn McDaniel and Kim Hahn, the co-curators of the exhibit. The guests then gave a standing ovation to the contributors of the exhibit.

The creations displayed in the Kent State University Museum were all created by Kent State fashion faculty. Professor and former director of the fashion school J.R. Campbell, part-time fashion instructor Jeanne James, associate lecturer Barbara Rhodes and the Fashion School’s Interim Director Kim Hahn were just a few of the designers in the exhibit.

After attendees enjoyed complimentary appetizers and wine, they got their first glimpse of the showcase.

“I love it,” said Barbara Zupon, one of the attendees. “The creativity is impressive. I do a lot with vintage clothing because I love reworking things, so I love what they did here.”

The materials used to create some of the pieces ranged from organza, waterjet cut aluminum, laser-cut steel and watercolor paintings to recycled cotton socks and wool. Hahn, in collaboration with designer Ja Young Hwang, created three of the pieces that incorporated socks.

“I had a bunch of old socks that I didn’t know what to do with, and I worked with another designer (Hwang) and we just put our heads together,” Hahn said. “We came up with a triangle shape, then put the pieces together and then that’s what we came up with.”

The designs displayed in the museum were mostly created with technology, mixed media and recyclable pieces. Decorative arts historian Margaret Powell, along with Rachel Delphia, the curator for decorative arts and design for the Carnegie Museum of Art, decided which designs would be shown in the exhibit. Powell said their decisions did not disappoint.

“It’s really, really fun to see it all together, especially seeing the different pieces that we picked put together in groups throughout the galleries,” Powell said. “It all looks beautiful, I’m happy.”

The exhibit initially opened Sept. 28 and will remain open until Sept. 1 of next year. The museum will hold another event, the Fashion Focus Series, on Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. where guests can ask some of the “Fashion Meets the Body” designers about their work.

The current exhibit is open anytime from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday; and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Ashley Johnson is the fashion reporter. Contact her at [email protected].