Business students working on an advanced marketing project at the University of San Diego took their research to the fashion runway on Thursday.
Twenty-one students in the Knauss School of Business produced and promoted the Torero Runway fashion show.
They targeted fellow students and staff on campus as well as anyone else whom they could reach through their marketing in the past six weeks.
Mahlia Flores was one of the group. She is a marketing major with an interest in the fashion industry.
She said the project combined her skill sets. "(I appreciated) being able to see the behind-the-scenes of putting together an event that is specifically a runway. I never considered how many factors come together to produce an event.”
The project included extensive research in planning, branding, clothing selection, public relations, and social media strategies.
Megan Mokhtarian is a senior pursuing a double major in marketing and finance. She volunteered to model in the show and to help in the fashion curation process.
“I definitely want to be in a career where I’m able to talk to people all the time and build relationships. I like having deadlines and meeting them," she said.
This is the first time USD marketing professor Justine Farrell has used the fashion show project in her curriculum. She admits her best lesson plans are often adjusted to changes that come up. There is a lesson in that, too.
“A lot of it is being comfortable with working on the fly. At the same time (I'm) teaching students expectations, and dealing with industry pressure and industry expectations," Farrell said.
One marketing strategy is to use an event as a fundraiser for a worthy cause. The Torero Runway show raised money for the Maui Strong Fund to help victims of the recent wildfires.
The fashion show sold out with 75 spectators in the reserved seats plus the standing-room-only audience. With the ticket sales, the business students raised $850 in donations.
