Collaboration to be Highlighted at Erie 1 BOCES FUSION ‘26 Fashion Show

Students from Erie 1 BOCES will showcase their talents and bring together the school community for the FUSION ‘26 Fashion Show: Unification. 

“It’s collaboration, which is what the real world is,” said Darlene Borchert, who teaches one of the program’s classrooms at the Calspan Career and Technical Education Center. “You can’t do it alone.” 

The show, which will take place at 7 p.m. on April 1 at Salvatore’s Italian Garden, 6461 Transit Rd, Depew, will showcase the work of 21 high school fashion students from across Western New York in the organization’s Fashion Design Technology program. 

The annual show has seen continued growth since its debut in 2009, with the 2025 show drawing more than 700 people to see the students’ designs, which, beyond students’ families, includes their teachers, school principals, administrators, and other supporters.  

“It feels like a graduation moment,” Borchert said. “It's the pinnacle of their experience in the program.” 

For the event, students will create as many as ten different designs for the runway using skills developed during their time in the two-year program. One highlight for this year’s show will be an upcycled fashion piece made from neck ties and denim donated by teachers and staff members at Erie 1 BOCES. 

“I think the kids really got to explore what truly deconstructing an item looks like, and how many different directions you can go,” said Elizabeth Acevedo, who teaches the program to students at the Potter Career and Technical Education Center. “They got to put their own spin on it.” 

Beyond the Fashion Design Technology, the show will receive support from students and staff from Erie 1 BOCES’ Cosmetology, Criminal Justice, Virtual Production and Design and Virtual Production and Recording Arts programs.  

“From a planning standpoint, there are so many hands in for this project,” Acevedo said. “We’ve had teachers from across our buildings show up to help us out. You see students from all different classes help model and help out backstage. It’s one of the coolest experiences that Erie 1 BOCES has, because so many people are willing to help out.” 

Student designers planning to share their works in this year’s show include: 

Calspan Career and Technical Education Center: Jae Carter (Kenmore West High School), Katrena Conerly (Sweet Home High School), Sianna Crooks (Akron High School), Nivea Johnson (Kenmore East High School), Kailyn Keicher (Lancaster High School), Cayla Mallory (Sweet Home High School), Bella Marcaccio (Clarence High School), Vaz Rodriguez (Williamsville North High School), Isabella Romig (Lancaster High School), Izzy Sullivan (West Seneca West Senior High School), Amiah Torgerson (Cleveland Hill High School), Leela Wood (Williamsville North High School), Yoru Yi (Ken-Ton Big Picture) 

Potter Career and Technical Education Center: Davahya Beard (West Seneca West Senior High School), James Cardona (Depew High School), Adrianna Herbeck (West Seneca West Senior High School), Azspen Lockwood (Frontier High School), Aria Melewski (Frontier High School), Grey Pietrzak (Depew High School), Ava Ryan (West Seneca West Senior High School), Alec Tober (Hamburg High School). 

The two-year Fashion Design Technology program teaches students how to dress, style, and create trends based on design elements and the fashion cycle. Students in the program also develop business plans as a part of their studies, setting them up for future success. The students’ work included creating posters and tickets for the show. 

Tickets for this year’s show are $10 and can be purchased at the door. For more information about the show, visit https://careerandtech.e1b.org/programs/fashion-design-technology/fusion-fashion-show-2026.