Many students watch designers on Project Runway create garments on TV, but seniors in human ecology get to experience it firsthand.Students in Lisa McRoberts’ senior capstone class were assigned to create three garments as part of one cohesive collection.They designed one sustainable garment, one free-range garment and one piece for the Dallas Career Day competition — a competition for students in the fashion industry.The theme of the garments is fashion through the ages, McRoberts said.Students’ garments will be displayed at the annual Hemline fashion show May 20 at the Lyceum Theater at 8 p.m., along with designs from other students in the majorStudents worked in teams to create the three garments in the past, but now each individual makes one collection.”Dr. McRoberts has seen that while you do work as a team in the real world, you need your own vision, your own creativity and your own initiative,” said teaching assistant Stefanie Ramirez.Students had about two and a half weeks to create each garment, said Ramirez.”It’s very high-stress when it gets down to deadlines,” said Michelle Judice, textiles, apparel and merchandising senior.Students first submit a sketch of the design, then create a “sew-up” using muslin fabric of the garment before creating the final product.”You have lots of creative freedom,” said Nichole Steuart, textiles, apparel and merchandising senior. “The class emphasizes creativity and makes us more innovative as designers.”Finding inspiration for fashion is different every time, Judice said.”Sometimes ideas just come to me — other times I have to seek it out,” Judice said. “Everyone is different — some use pieces from specific lines or historical pieces.”The Dallas Career Day piece could fit into a number of categories such as career wear, outerwear, casual and the little red dress.University students received five awards at the competition this year.The sustainable garment was required to be 60 percent cotton or more, Ramirez said.Students learned about sustainability through in-class demonstrations using natural dyes like tea, coffee and camelias, McRoberts said.One student created a garment using Louisiana strawberries as dye, McRoberts said.”Sustainability was a challenge for me, but I’m glad we did it,” Judice said. “It helps us think outside of the box, and our market is headed toward more eco-friendly designs.”Much of the class is geared toward preparing students for real world experiences, Ramirez said.”We want to make sure students are prepared in any arena,” she said. “By the end of the class, we want students to have designs they can add to their portfolios.”Judice said the experience helped her learn where she wants to go as a designer.”It gave us the opportunity to explore our ideas and perspectives as designers,” Judice said.   – – – -Contact Grace Montgomery at [email protected]