Growing up, Izzy Martinez spent hours with her parents at the spa where they worked. While her parents grew their clientele in the hair industry, Martinez would spend hours mesmerized by the colorful displays of hair care products at the front of the shop. The bottles changed from vibrant reds and oranges in the summer, which promoted heat protection and anti-frizz, to blues and cool greens in the fall and winter, promoting deep conditioning and shiny, healthy hair. 

“It’s always so beautiful,” she said. “I always wanted to make something that represents that.”

Martinez currently attends College of DuPage as a student in the Fashion Studies merchandising program. She and her classmates are setting up for the student exhibition at Chicago Fashion Week. Despite being a well-known city, Chicago hasn’t been able to show its diverse cultural side, Martinez said. She attributed the recent cultural spotlight on the city to the recent TV success of Hulu’s “The Bear” and Stranger Things star Joe Keery’s solo music venture, Djo. One of Keery’s recent songs, “End of Beginning,” name drops Chicago in its chorus, and peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March. 

With Chicago culture coming into the mainstream, Martinez said it’s important to demonstrate the variety of said culture. 

“We need something else on our map to show all of our culture and that can be through fashion and what we all wear,” she said. “I think vintage is really a Chicago thing for sure. I mean, our architecture is so old, and [I think] clothes tie into that very, very closely.”

Razeenah Khan, another Fashion Studies merchandising student, said Chicago Fashion Week is combatting the stereotype of Chicago. 

“You wouldn’t think fashion and think Chicago. Whereas you would think fashion and your mind would go to New York,” Khan said. “Even though [Chicago is] not really a fashion city, there’s still a lot of fashion that you can work with.”

The COD Fashion Studies program snagged a spot on the official Chicago Fashion Week lineup for a student exhibition. Program leaders plan to show off past student works and show the potential COD students have in the industry. The event is run by merchandising students and will feature the works of the design students. Khan said the event will help COD students find better opportunities and secure a job in their chosen field.

“That’s how students get recognized to go higher up in their career path, or the industry in general,” Khan said. “I think getting the chance to showcase a ton of work allows for opportunities for a lot of students. Whether it’s planning the exhibit, like our class is doing, or having your work showcased, like a lot of the design students.”

Sophie Insley, another Fashion Studies merchandising student, said the event also helps to boost the program and opens the door for new potential students to see what awaits them as students at COD. 

“It gives us an opportunity to share with people who are maybe looking for interns or assistants,” Insley said. “And maybe bring more people in to learn more about our program and be a part of our program eventually.”

Insley is pushing for a career in fashion merchandising to help promote sustainable fashion practices. In particular, Insley looks to battle fast fashion, a trend where brands look to produce a large amount of a specific style. The result is cheaply made products that wear out quickly and add to the steadily climbing excess waste production that is hurting the environment.

“I have a strong interest in sustainability and helping companies find these sellers that have sustainable products,” she said. “Whether that’s in their factory or how they made their fabric or recycling material. So [I want to bring] that into more everyday retail.”

Insley, Khan and Martinez all remain extremely proud of all the work that their peers have put in for this event, as well as any event the Fashion Studies program puts on.

“When I look at the work that [students have] done, I’m just mind blown,” said Khan. “I just think, ‘How can you do it?’ And it takes a ton of time and a ton of energy, but it pays off in the end.”

“It’s something to be proud of. Especially at this age,” Martinez said. “I’m not saying it’s setting new trends. For high fashion, that is the case for Fashion Week. But for student work, I think it’s crucial to show what’s coming and what they’re going to bring to the table.”

The College of DuPage Fashion Studies: Exhibition of Student Work opens at 6 p.m. on Oct. 11 at the Oakbrook Shopping Center and is free to attend. For more Chicago Fashion Week events, check out the schedule on the Chicago Fashion Week website.