LPAS Architecture + Design won Best in
Show and Crowd Favorite for this design at
the Merge Fashion Show. Modeled by interior
designer Isabel Ramirez, this cocktail dress
made from interior design materials includes
a detachable skirt that transforms into a
peacock-like frill.
designing the future
Sacramento designers transform architectural
materials into future-forward fashion at the
International Interior Design Association Northern
California Chapter Merge Fashion Show
BY Jennifer Fergesen PHOTOS: Debbie Cunningham
O
utside the Hyatt Regency in down-
town Sacramento, tower cranes rise
above the skyline, harbingers of the
city’s burgeoning building boom. Inside,
the designers who are determining the
new face of our city took to the runway
to envision our future through fashion.
On June 22, the ninth edition of the
Merge Fashion Show, an annual fund-
raiser sponsored by the International
Interior Design Association Northern
California Chapter, took place in the
ballroom of the hotel. This year’s theme,
Fit for the Future, sparked a kaleido-
scopic variety of designs, including a
shape-shifting cocktail dress and a dys-
topia-ready suit of armor, all made with
interior design materials such as tiles,
carpeting and upholstery.
The 13 competing teams included
groups from local firms such as LPAS Ar-
chitecture + Design and branch offices of
international companies like Stantec, as
well as design and architecture students
from around the region. Students are the
real star of the show at Merge; the event
includes an awards ceremony for three
IIDA scholarships, and student partici-
pants often end up interning or working
at the firms they encounter at the fash-
ion show. “It’s a great way to help solidify
that they’re in the right career path and
pursuing their passion,” says event chair
Michelle Moretti.
August 2019 | comstocksmag.com
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