Twenty eager faces pressing against the plane windows, 40 feet tapping unevenly in anticipation, 60 suitcases in the overhead bins bursting to the brim with the latest trends; this is the scene that greets Ms. Amanda Obermeier, family and consumer science teacher at KHS, as she and her Fashion Club prepare to land in the Big Apple.

“I wanted Fashion Club to be a place where anyone who loves fashion could come and meet other students with similar passions,” Obermeier, club founder, said.  “Normally, we meet once a week to discuss trends in the fashion industry, and sometimes make do-it-yourself accessories like scarves, bracelets and earrings.”

The club started out small, but has gained membership with its tri-annual trip to New York City.  This year, Fashion Club was in the city April 16-19.  They visited everything from the World Trade Center, Broadway, and Central Park, to SoHo and Chinatown, to Mood Designer Fabric Store and the Fashion Institute of Technology.

“Going to New York is always a positive experience,” Abbey Endres, senior and Fashion Club President, said.  “It just makes the whole group more excited and inspired to keep doing fashion.”

Freshman club member, Katherine Moore, couldn’t agree more.

“New York really opened my eyes to the fashion industry,” Moore said.  “There’s just no other place in the country like it.  I loved being in Times Square because everywhere you looked, you could see the influences from different cultures.”

Endres, who will be studying design at Columbia College Chicago next year, said her favorite spot in the city was the pattern making shop of a talented designer named William.

“It was fascinating because he showed us a different side to the fashion industry, one that is almost a lost art these days.  William sews all his fabrics by hand, while most manufacturers create their designs on the computer to have them mass produced,” Endres said.

According to Obermeier, while the ultimate goal is for Fashion Club to one day make it to Paris, New York is the best place in the country for aspiring fashionistas to explore their passion.

“We were able to learn so much about the fashion industry while still having a blast,” Obermeier explained.  “I hope that in 20 years, the kids will be able to look back on this trip and remember how inspiring it felt to be a part of the fashion culture of New York City.”