On Sunday June 8, Mitchells of Westport brought out the runway and hosted the Walk the Runway for K.I.D.S., a fashion show fundraiser by Ellen Gang and her students.

Gang, a professor at the Fashion Institution of Technology in New York, also runs Ellen Gang design studio in town. She teaches sewing classes, fashion illustration and portfolio prep to students at her home in Westport.

“I have been making clothes with Ellen from sixth grade to freshman year,” Shannon Barry ’15 said.

Jessica Spector ’15, also one of a few Staples students involved, explained,  “The fashion show was for the older girls, and then little kids who did some stuff showed their work too. It’s something we plan for all year. Some of the older girls meet up and talk about hair and makeup, help make the video, take pictures of fashion illustrations and designs, and get so excited for the show.”

Along with designing the clothes for the fundraising fashion show, the students also, literally, strutted their stuff down the runway ― showing off their hard work for a good cause.

At the show, Gang explained that “K.I.D.S. (Kids in Distressed Situations) collects new excess merchandise from manufacturers and distributes them to children in need, all around the world.

“Because we were doing the show on a larger scale, Ellen thought that we should be raising money,” said Spector. “And because she teaches children sewing and fashion, we decided to raise money and items for kids from underprivileged areas with the silent auction, which was something that made the show so much more successful.”