West Liberty University students in the Gary E. West College of Business plan a fashion show on November 15 from 5-8 pm, inspired by the college’s very own thrift store, Topper Thrift. The event will take place in the ballroom of the Student Union and is fully student-run and spearheaded by Marketing majors Tessa Ullom and Emma Conners.
The Thrill of Thrift fashion show invites students, faculty, and staff from the WLU campus and the public to attend. In the spirit of the university’s sustainability efforts, the event is designed to promote the concept of thrifting. During the fashion show, recycled and secondhand clothing items from Topper Thrift will be modeled.
Tessa Ullom, a junior Marketing major explains, “As this is a social venture, the main focus of planning this event has been finding creative ways to partner with our stakeholders to bring this fashion show to fruition. This event would not be possible without the amazing students, graduate assistants, faculty, staff, and community members who have volunteered their time and effort to make Thrill of Thrift a seamless and memorable experience for attendees.”
Students, faculty, and staff have signed up to participate in one of the four categories of the fashion show, which include casual, business casual, business professional, and upcycled. Several volunteers will additionally design a unique and upcycled piece for the event.
During intermission, student entertainers will provide comedy, dancing, singing, and other kinds of entertainment. After the show, those in attendance will have the opportunity to conveniently shop for clothing from the Topper Thrift store located on the first floor of Main Hall.
“It’s been so encouraging and humbling to see students, staff, and faculty come together to help be a part of this event. We are so excited to see everything completed and are looking forward to a fun, successful fashion show!”, says Marketing major Emma Conners.
Topper Thrift began as a clothes swap initiative in collaboration with Earth Day 2022 and has grown into a fully functional thrift shop offering affordable clothing and dorm essentials to the West Liberty University campus community and beyond.
The Gary E. West College of Business at West Liberty University (WCOB) offers an accredited Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree with a choice of majors and minors. Visit the westliberty.edu/westbusiness/programs to view the majors available.
West Liberty University is West Virginia’s oldest public university, and it offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and 12 graduate programs, both online and on campus. Learn more at westliberty.edu.
