It’s official. The annual fall fashion show held by the Student Fashion Association is on.

“Confetti” will be held in Jack Adams Hall the first week of December. This is the first year the SFA is mandating an entire collection for the fall fashion show, which means designers are expected to produce up to 12 looks each. The fall show is generally smaller than its counterpart in the spring, but the department is determined to raise the bar on this annual event.

“This fall we are really trying to make sure the garments we present are up to college level and really show what our students can do,” SFA President Ashley Green said.

According to Green, previous fall shows have received criticism from the audience, students and those closely related to well-established people in the industry. Comments have been that the quality of the shows weren’t as good as they could be and that the audience was left expecting more from the designers. SFA Vice President Matthew Robinson recalled that last year’s show featured a garment on the runway with loose threads hanging from the seam.

“This year is the first year we are stressing guidelines. We want all the garments to be constructed well. This means no loose threads on the runway,” Robinson said.

Robinson hopes SF State fashion students will one day be as recognized as other competitors from the San Francisco’s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise and Academy of Art University.

“We feel [SF State’s fashion] program has a very talented group of students and all of sudden we were being referred to as less than other schools because no one even knows we have a program,” he said.

Apparel design and merchandising students, along with alumni and SFA group members, are encouraged to showcase at this event. The two-part application process began Sept. 22, with the first application due by Oct. 3. The first step of the process is simply for event organizers to get an idea of who is applying and the number of designs that will be submitted for the show. During this time, all applicants must be verified as SFA members, alumni or apparel merchandising students.

The second deadline is on Oct. 24, when designers are expected to paint a detailed picture of what they want to showcase. This helps SFA decide what order the designers will show, which ultimately helps the show flow better. All garments will be reviewed by SFA members a week before the runway show.

Since the fall shows are much smaller than the spring shows, Robinson said he doesn’t think there will be many participants. Green said he agreed and that he believes many students may be a bit scared to create an entire cohesive collection.

“[Since] we are going in a different direction with [the] show, people feel intimidated. But hopefully they can collaborate with other students and maybe split the number of outfits and create a cohesive look,” Green said. “This would be a great chance for students new to the department to pair up with a senior and learn a lot.”

Alumni are always welcome to participate in the fall show, and Robinson said he was excited to note that many have already prepared a number of looks for the event. He explained that an up-and-coming designer rarely has the opportunity to create a full look – most pay their dues by finishing an established designers work. Robinson said there is something fulfilling about an entire collection credited to a designer and this is why many alumni participate in the show.

Avi Butler-Rotholz is among the alumni who will be featured in the show. He has decided to do a 12-look collection: half men’s wear and half women’s wear.

“My last line was mostly street wear, but this year I want to show a range of my talent as a designer,” Butler-Rotholz said.

So far, the SF State alumnus has completed six of his 12 looks. “I’m really excited for the show – there’s a lot to get finished in the next couple months,” Butler-Rotholz said. “But the shows are always a lot of fun.”