Haute Takes Over Haverford

At the end of April, the first floor of Haverford College’s VCAM building transformed into a runway, as 48 student models walked in the biggest fashion show the college has ever seen.

With 10 talented designers, Jasmine Schulte, Ashleen Castillo, Kamille Payamps, Autumn Feagley, Christine Moore, Maxine Roeder, Carolina Lopez, Kasiah Harrison, Katia Giovanetti, and Shirley Liu showcasing their creations, the space was overflowing with energy and excitement. Haute, the student-run fashion organization behind the show, has been promoting ethical fashion practices and re-centering fashion around values and vision since 2019. The inspiration for the organization struck when a friend of Kayla Baquiran ‘23 thrifted her prom dress and discovered that it had been originally created as part of a Parsons School of Design student’s academic coursework.

Realizing the lack of a platform that could promote the talents of emerging designers, Baquiran began crafting the concept for Haute. Supported by the Haverford Innovations Program’s (HIP) Summer Incubator in 2021, co-founders Madeline Webster ’23, Kayla Baquiran ’23, and Eleanor Alix ’23 worked to develop the platform.

The fashion show featured local emerging designers who have been featured in New York Fashion Week and premiered a video showcasing Kenisha Young’s designs, produced by Holden Blanco ‘17, in her Philadelphia studio.

“From pitching Haute to one of the first twenty employees at Uber and the former CFO at Glossier when I was 18 years old, to receiving a seed grant from venture capitalists through Haverford’s Innovations Incubator when I was 20, I can’t believe how Haute has shown up for me and given me the chance to be part of something bigger than myself,” says Baquiran, who is set to graduate this week. “It has taught me how to be outspoken, resilient, vulnerable, and humble, and so much more.”

Baquiran says she is especially grateful to [HIP Associate Program Director] Shayna Nickel for supporting the development of Haute. “We’ve spent the past three years reimagining the future of fashion and am excited to announce that Abbey Wu ’26 and Fatema Mun ’25 will continue to offer a fresh perspective as co-directors once I graduate.” As Wu and Mun carry on cultivating local untapped artists and designers, they hope for continued growth within the fashion industry.

The Haute fashion show proved so popular that students packed into every corner of VCAM they could to catch a glimpse of the show! Check out the photos below.

If you’d like to provide feedback on the event or get involved with Haute, you can contact the team at hqhaute@gmail.com or follow them on Instagram at @thehauteteam.