Moda Magazine’s 2024 Fashion Week builds community in Madison

Student-run Moda Magazine hosted a fashion week on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus from April 15-19 featuring inclusive, creative and exciting events that culminated in a fashion show.

Moda kicked off fashion week with a headshot booth for students who needed pictures or those who were interested to come and get their headshots taken.

Students were also able to donate clothes to Luke’s Closet, a Dane County clothing bank for children in foster and adoptive families.

“All of the clothes that are donated today, we’re going to give to Luke’s Closet,” said Adina Kurzban, Moda events planner. “[Luke’s Closet] is a local nonprofit that gives donated clothes to children in the foster care system who aren’t able to purchase clothes for themselves.”

Moda is focused on bringing the creativity out of students and giving all students the platform to get themselves out there, event organizers said.

“I like bridging creative communities in Madison, and I think that there’s something really powerful in student organizations working together to build a stronger community and Madison for Fashion Week,” said Emily Han, Moda coordinator of events. “We wanted this to be like an opportunity for a bunch of different student organizations to work together and put on events and showcase their many, many talents.”

Through the week’s events, Moda worked towards its goal of creating an inclusive environment where students can thrive.

To end fashion week, Moda hosted a fashion show at The Orpheum Theater titled  “Fuse” where students could watch a production with 11 different designers, complete with live music by local artist Mars.

“My favorite part was seeing the joy and awe of the audience witnessing such unique forms of art,” said Chloe Joykelm, Moda coordinator of events.

As much as the week was meant to be a fashion experience, event organizers said the greatest underlying intention was bringing people together. With the name “Fuse,” members of Moda hoped to use the fashion show to showcase talent in Madison and inspire student fashion designers.

“Moda is a welcoming and inclusive UW student environment in which shared interests of all aspects of life, culture, lifestyle, art and fashion can be expressed and shared through visual and written works,” Joykelm said.