As the only undergraduate college whose students and alumni unveiled designs on the New York Fashion Week runways last year, Albright College will return to showcase eight more student and alumni fashion collections on Saturday, September 10 at 7 p.m., at this year’s 5th Ave track. 608 Fifth Avenue at 49th Street, New York City.
Produced by Albright alumnus R. Scott French ’87 of VERY New York, and featuring a team of more than 50 Albright students, the show features fashion designs by current Albright students, Albright alumni. Follow on social networks via #albrightNYFW.
Albright New York Fashion Week (NYFW) Designers:
Olivia Connor ’18, from Baltimore, Md., developed an interest in fashion illustration early in life. Despite arriving at Albright with no formal sewing experience, Conner excelled and credits her professors, friends, family and her late mother for their support and guidance in obtaining her degree in Fashion Design.
Na’Yalaijah Fournillier ’22, of Philadelphia, Pa., studied fashion design at Albright and spent last summer working at Paula Hian designs where she assists the designer in creating her fabrics and custom dresses. For NYFW, she marries her love of painting with her love of streetwear for a unique creative fashion expression.
Camille Fuller ’17, of Sussex, NJ, an Albright fashion design and merchandising major specializing in sustainable design with a special emphasis on natural dyeing techniques. For her fashion label, Anchorage, Fuller produces small pieces made with natural fabrics and colors. She earned certification as a Sustainable Design Entrepreneur from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Nicholas Kedge ’22, of Centreville, Va., was born in Bogota, Colombia. Studying fashion design at Albright College, Kedge has always been attuned to the world around him and interprets the details in every garment he is inspired to design. He strives to transform basic body shapes and clothing silhouettes into designs that feel organic and fluid.
Sarah Kim ’24, of Ligonier, Pa., is studying fashion: costume design at Albright College with a major focus on period and theatrical costume construction. Sarah hopes to design and create theater costumes for a variety of performance types in the years to come.
Jonathan Otero ’20, of Lancaster, Pa., is a versatile creative individual, constantly finding new ways to design clothing that he finds innovative and meaningful. After graduating from Albright College with a degree in fashion design, he became a pattern maker at Curtain Call and a sewing floor coordinator at Stitch Fix. He has a wide range of creative and technical knowledge in the fashion industry.
Liz Polley ’07, a fashion and theater major at Albright, recently returned to her alma mater as an assistant professor of theater. Polley earned a Master of Fine Arts in costume design and technology and worked as a costume shop manager and adjunct professor for Kean University. Polley has worked at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, Texas Southern College, Phoenix Theater Company, Shakespeare Theatre, Glimmerglass Festival and Surflight Theatre. Highlights from Liz’s professional dressing career include concerts by Taylor Swift, Pink, Justin Bieber, Paula Abdul and Ariana Grande. She has also been an integral part of the national tour for Kinky Boots, Dirty Dancing, Jersey Boys, Spamalot, West Side Story, Beauty and the Beast, Cats and Ragtime.
Jennifer Raineri ’17, of Smithtown, NY, earned her Bachelor of Arts in costume design from Albright before completing a Master of Fine Arts degree in costume design and production at the University of Alabama. Having designed and wrapped for a number of shows, Raineri is particularly fond of recreating historical patterns as inspiration for her modern designs.
Albright College fashion graduates work around the world as designers, celebrity stylists, influencers, production managers and more. Their employers include Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Swarovski Crystal, to name a few. Many of them have gone on to start their own thriving businesses.
Named a top national college by the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, Albright College (founded in 1856) is home to a diverse community of students who cultivate integrity, curiosity, connection and resilience. Through learning experiences that engage a student’s creative and innovative capacities in all disciplines, both inside and outside the classroom, an Albright College education ensures that every student learns how to engage the world, understand the world, and be prepared to make an impact in a rapidly changing world. Located in Reading, Pa., Albright is home to undergraduate students, adult students and graduate students.
