Threads Designer Spotlight: Arrion Drumgoole

Story and photos by Rachel Bednarz

The annual Threads fashion show is right around the corner, and Central Michigan University senior designer Arrion Drumgoole is hard at work putting together her collection. The show will take place on April 6, 2019, and Drumgoole has been working on her pieces since the beginning of last semester.

“My whole collection is inspired by city and urban life,” Drumgoole says. “They’re very unique and very trendy.” Her collection is focused on social media influencers, socialites and their love for money.

Drumgoole says that Fashion Nova and Forever 21 have sparked her ideas for this collection.

Inspired by money, the fabric dollar bills on Drumgoole’s piece shown above were originally green. After some consideration she bought a bottle of dye and dyed them pink. Drumgoole also washed a few of the bills to fray them, and then hand stitched them onto the piece.

“The show is really trying to be diverse and show everyone that anybody can be a model, it’s not supposed to be like something you see on Project Runway,” Drumgoole says. The show is run by and for students, and is really made for everyone to enjoy.

 

“If you are a designer or thinking about being a designer, do it. A lot of people are kind of deterred by the fact that it seems like it’s just for people in the major, but it’s not.” At first glance, the show looks like is is strictly for professionals, but it’s not.

This is Drumgoole’s third year working for the show, she has been submitting collections to Threads since she was a sophomore at CMU. Her first collection for threads was formal wear, mostly prom dresses.

For Drumgoole’s first collection for threads most of her work was done outside of the classroom. She started her collection over the summer and worked on it in her dorm because she knew she wanted to make it into the show.

“I’m going to save up and participate in local shows,” Drumgoole  says. In the future she hopes to return to her hometown of Detroit and continue designing. Eventually, she would like to design custom pieces for special events and celebrities.