Making Your Own Runway: The Bennington Strut
On the beautiful warm afternoon of May 27 at Bennington College, the Commons Lawn came alive in an explosion of fabric, movement, and meaning. A student-led fashion event, The Bennington Strut—part runway show, part celebration, part artistic activism—made its debut.
The event was the first large-scale project of the Garment Collective, a new student club designed to welcome students interested in all types of wearable art.
“There's a huge number of people here who are interested in textiles, wearable art, wrapping the body in some sort of fiber with intention or art for art’s sake or to tell a story,” said Tilly Grimes, faculty member in costume design and, together with technical instructor in costume production Richard MacPike, a mentor to many of the students involved. The Strut and the Collective also aim to claim space between costume design and sculpture and between fashion and fine art.
The Strut featured around fifty participants—designers, models, and behind-the-scenes collaborators—and brought together work made in classes and a part of productions over the last academic year.
“We produced seven student-designed shows this spring in our class, and they were all wonderfully unique,” said Grimes. “It has been so exciting to see the range of work as reflected in this parade. There's such a variety of vibes, aesthetics, curiosity, and that's the beauty of it.”
At the heart of the Strut was Anelise Peterson ’28, one of the founders of the Garment Collective. "It was a celebration of fashion on campus,” she said. “I figured there are so many amazing shows and so many amazing designers and not everyone can get to see everything...If I can make this work more accessible, I think that’s worthwhile."
Luca Daly ’25, one of the event’s designers, created a 20-piece collection entitled Desnos, a story-based Runway show based on the 1920 film Nosferatu. The show was the culmination of an intensely independent and creative process that spanned 3 years and multiple Field Work Terms. “I was given full reign...I just started churning out garment after garment and learning so much.”
“It was a brave idea,” said Grimes. “It required a lot of hustle and follow-through to produce it. I think we ended up making a cool thing, and I'm glad we got to do it.”
Stella Feldschuh ’25 also benefited from the ways Bennington enables large-scale artistic visions. Her pieces were designed for Flight of Icarus, “this huge theater-dance performance piece that I designed, directed, and built all the costumes for,” she shared. “I think it's incredibly powerful to have the support of this College...I feel like I achieved a dream.”
Sarah Krekel ’25 presented two looks: an elaborate 1870s day dress from a fall term class and a dramatic cloak with a green collar. “The best, most valuable thing that Bennington College, especially the costume department, has cultivated is a strong community,” they said. “Everybody is super involved in each other's work, eager to create collaborative and cohesive pieces.”
But Krekel also pointed to a structural gap that the Strut aimed to bridge. “There hasn't been much overlap in courses between costume design and traditional visual art,” they said. “This show, and the Garment Collective, felt like a group effort to create that collaborative, multidisciplinary space.”
Grimes, too, saw the event as more than just a showcase. “The bigger context behind this is that we don't have a fashion department on campus,” she explained. “The Strut is the physical manifestation of claiming that space”—a way for students who feel like they fall between disciplines to be visible.
Grimes hopes to repeat the event with the Garment Collective next year. “Hopefully, we'll be making it a tradition—an annual Strut or a celebration of the year’s wearable art. It’s a way to help people who are unsure about which discipline they belong to to claim some space so they can be seen by the rest of the community.”
Peterson added, “And instill confidence in everybody because their work is amazing.”