The end of the year is here, and with that comes Runway, the first Lasell undergraduate show, which features designs from the first-years, sophomores, and juniors, but after the undergrad comes the senior class show, where fashion design seniors display their collections, which are made and designed by themselves, putting four years of learning and experience on the stage. Three of these senior fashion design and production students are Dillon Ramirez, Maddie Ebbinghaus, and Evelyn DiFiore.
Ramirez’s collection was inspired by men’s mental health in the workforce. “Enervation” is what Ramirez named his collection, which means to completely drain yourself.
“The main inspiration comes from the people I have spoken to, their experiences, and their past. Also, just being able to see it on their faces and seeing it in their body language as they come to talk to me,” Ramirez said.
He also took inspiration from Armani and Jerry Lorenzo. With themes of tailored suits and formal wear with very clean and sleek elements, while also giving a rugged look. Making this collection and the previous collection has been a challenge for Ramirez, as he was new to the world of sewing before coming to Lasell. He said he learned a lot from his teachers and is deeply grateful for the experience.
“When making seven pairs of pants, I think it has been a challenge with correcting all the little things like the pockets, but by the end of the process, it becomes much easier. Starting is extremely hard, once you get to the middle, you know what you are doing, and by the end it is like riding a bike.”
Stories of impact inspired Maddie Ebbinghaus’ collection. Ebbinghaus collected stories from different people for her inspiration. The stories she collected were of being impacted and how they thought they might have impacted another person. Ebbinghaus, after hearing these stories, compiled the general themes seen throughout before translating them into her collection.
“So I like to live and die by this phrase: live to make an impact, something my mom has said my entire life. And so I wanted to bring that into my collection, as it’s something that’s, like, really important to me. Like, an example would be the domino effect, where you do one thing and it amounts to something way bigger than you thought it ever would be. The ripple effect, where you choose to help one person, ends up impacting a lot of people,” Ebbinghaus said when asked for the inspiration behind her work.
Ebbinghaus, originally from Missouri, named her collection “What Finds Its Way Home”. She also pulled themes from “Midwestern Americana” with materials like denim and canvas, with a touch of vintage. Other materials like lace and organza were chosen for contrast and flair.
Materials used were sourced from thrift stores and other means of recycling, as Ebbinghaus grew up with hand-me-downs; she wanted to keep the concept of reusing and giving something a new life in her collection. Ebbinghaus also wanted to keep the collection simple, in her words, “Something you could find in Walmart.”
“It’s been really rewarding at this point in my fashion career, because when I came to Lasell, I didn’t have any sewing experience. So I feel like the past four years have been really, like, truly working up to this moment,” said Evelyn DiFiore about her time at Lasell
DiFiore’s collection was inspired by a festival in Oregon called the Oregon Country Fair. Titled Jubilee and drawing themes from the 70’s hippie era of fashion, with self-expression being the main focus.
“I think I’ve found a lot of cool parts of myself there, just like experiencing different people and learning about their truths, and like, what makes them who they are, and just seeing people express themselves in weird and like unique ways, it’s been really cool and inspiring,” said DiFiore on her collection.
Her collection features bright colors, fun patterns, and feminine silhouettes. Clothes that are made for both day and night wear are meant to be interchangeable. Made from materials such as cotton, silk, and patchwork fabric. For the collection, DiFiore dyed a lot of her fabrics using the technique called “Shibori”, which is a form of Japanese tie dye. DiFiore said the process took a long time and a lot of all-nighters, but she loved doing it.
The class of 2026 senior Runway featured amazing collections from many different designers with four years of hard work put on display for all to see, enjoy, and inspire.
