While many students started their weekend in Tigerland or dodging bad luck from Friday the 13th, three University students spent their evening in Bryant Park to kick off New York’s Fashion Week.The University’s BCBG Ambassadors were selected to attend the BCBG Max Azria Fall 2009 Runway Show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City last week after winning a nationwide marketing competition.Sarah Dewey, Ashley Vickers and Student Government Vice President Shannon Bates make up the University’s student-led marketing team. The Ambassador program began in August to promote BCBG’s new line BCBGeneration.”It’s a way for marketing and public relations majors to promote and market the new line,” Bates said. “We promote it through on-campus events. Whoever had the highest marketing numbers got to go to fashion week with all expenses paid.”There are about 30 BCBG Ambassador programs on college campuses nationwide. Other teams included participants from Texas A&M University, Florida State University and the University of Southern California.Bates said she didn’t know the exact marketing numbers, but the University’s team won the competition by conducting surveys to its targeted audience, passing out “keep in touch” cards, logo T-shirts and tote bags.”It’s all about the number of people we interact with,” Bates said.The team put on two in-store events at Macy’s in Baton Rouge and Dillard’s in New Orleans, where the new line is sold.As the winning team, they flew to New York City on Thursday morning and attended the fashion show Friday.Max Azria, BCBG’s designer, invited the students backstage after the show, Bates said.”It really was the coolest experience,” Bates said. “He talked to us about the program, and he was so proud that girls from Louisiana were able to get it.”Vickers, marketing senior, said it was an honor and a very memorable experience to meet Azria.”He owns this business worth millions of dollars, and he had two more shows later this week, and he took time to talk to us backstage,” Vickers said. “He was so down to earth.”This year marks the 20th anniversary of BCBG Max Azria and the 66th year of New York’s Fashion Week. More than 60 runway shows and backstage events will be held from Feb. 13-20.–Contact Leslie Presnall at [email protected]