As the sole undergraduate college whose students and alumni unveiled designs on New York Fashion Week (NYFW) runways each of the last three years, Albright College returns to showcase nine more alumni and student fashion collections, Saturday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m., on the 3 West Club’s Grand Ballroom runway, at 3 W. 51st Street, New York.
Produced by Albright alumnus R. Scott French ’87 of VERY New York, and boasting a crew of Albright students, the show featured fashion designs by Albright alumni and current Albright students. Follow along on social media via #albrightNYFW.
ABOUT THE DESIGNERS
Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Truc Phuong Ha was raised in Reading, Pa., and came to Albright with fashion and sewing knowledge. While studying business administration and fashion at Albright, Ha worked behind the scenes as a crew member for Albright’s 2022 NYFW fashion show, graduating in May 2024. During a family vacation to Vietnam, she was fascinated with various Asian design styles. The inspiration for this collection is a combination of modest and stylish design with a Korean style characteristic. The design consists of modular styles, where individual garment pieces could be attached or detached, thus making it modest yet elegant.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and of Bajan, Haitian and St. Lucian decent, Kamiah Jean lives in Philadelphia, Pa. Since the age of 4, Jean has been putting together doll outfits, learning to hand sew and use a sewing machine by age 6. Jean studied fashion design at Murrell Dobbins High School before studying fashion design at Albright, where she managed and modeled for a number of runway shows. She worked behind the scenes as a crew member for Albright’s 2022 NYFW fashion show and has held the position of head director of the college’s African American Society fashion show before graduating in May 2024.
Michelle Nguyen is a senior, studying fashion design at Albright, whose family that has owned and operated a sewing manufacturing factory for more than 30 years. This professional background afforded her a jumpstart in the industry, with experience of sewing and more. At Albright, Nguyen worked behind the scenes as a crew member for Albright’s 2022 NYFW fashion show and expanded her creative skills with an abundance of computer-aided design (CAD), Adobe training and garment construction classes. She offers a distinct aesthetic of femininity and youthfulness in her designs.
Felicia Oyekola is an aspiring Nigerian American designer. Very involved on Albright’s campus, while studying fashion design, she has had the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with professionals through various projects and internships before graduating in May 2024. She worked twice behind the scenes with Albright’s NYFW fashion show crew and this year, she presents a NYFW collection inspired mainly by a Maya Angelou poem titled “Phenomenal Women” and the Yoruba, Nigerian culture. The pieces in the collection are meant to reflect Oyekola’s definition of a phenomenal woman.
Mary Quinn grew up on a Milford, Pa. farm, where she always showed an interest in fashion design. Following art courses in high school, she took on 17 different Albright College fashion courses, while remaining extremely involved on campus — meeting friends and professors who helped shape and push her before graduating in May 2024. Quinn is known for her unique and fun sense of style, and a slight obsession with clothes. Interested in modeling, and sustainability, she hopes to one day own a business creating her own designs.
As an Albright fashion design student, Mia Rezza worked and interned at Bella Jules Boutique, trained with a local tailor and worked behind the scenes as a member of Albright’s NYFW fashion show crew before graduating in May 2024. Rezza aspires to own her own bridal boutique where she can design custom wedding gowns. Aqua Bliss is a collection inspired by the essence of water and the bliss of bridal.
A Philadelphia native, Lydia (Johnson) Simone learned sewing and design skills at the age of 6 from her grandmother — a talented tailor and seamstress. After studying abroad and earning her bachelor’s degree in fashion design and merchandising from Albright (2017), she went on to complete a master’s degree in fashion business from LIM College. She opened her first online store in 2017 and her designs were featured on SHEIN in 2023. Her designs — a mix of classic and contemporary styles infused with vibrant colors and intricate patterns — have been worn across the globe.
Abby Thomas-Ridgway began to develop a love for sewing at age 12 and quickly began earning awards in categories such as hand quilting and original design, and later earned a Creative Promise Scholarship to study at Albright College. She was awarded Most Marketable Design in Albright’s 2023 annual fashion show while studying fashion design and merchandising, graduating in May of 2024. She mostly takes her inspiration from flowers and femininity and aims to create designs that enhance the body of women and allow them to be their most beautiful selves.
Stephanie Vargas Hemmings studied sewing and manufacturing at Reading Muhlenberg Career and Technology Center before excelling in concept development at Albright College, where the fashion design major was invited to showcase her research on “Sustainable Fashion: Upcycling, Reusing, and Sustainability.” Vargas Hemmings first presented a NYFW collection as a student in 2021 and graduated in 2022. For this collection, Vargas Hemmings was inspired by Koi fish and the animated television series Avatar the Last Airbender.
