Redefining Fast Fashion: Columbia Partners With NASCAR for Street Race Fashion Show
Models and designers of the Columbia College Chicago School of Fashion celebrate a successful NASCAR Race Day fashion show on Saturday, July 5, 2025. Photo by Carlos Alanis-Avila for the Columbia Chronicle
Mora Forkapa’s first-place winning design reimagined race day materials into a striking, cohesive look featuring black tire prints on a white top and a skirt constructed from driver safety netting. Modeled by Forkapa’s roommate, senior BFA fashion design major Lizzy Fowlkes, the piece drew inspiration from multiple aspects of NASCAR culture.
Second-place winner Jorge Espinoza created a tailored two-piece outfit inspired by racing legend Shirley Muldowney, celebrating her groundbreaking impact on motorsports.
Maria Moreno took home third place for her feminine, streetwear-infused design, which stood out for its innovative use of sustainable materials and bold racing details.Eighteen Columbia College Chicago fashion students and alumni debuted original motorsports-inspired looks at the NASCAR Chicago Street Race on July 5, with three winning designs selected for prizes and display. The live runway competition took place at Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain after the final race, merging racing culture with sustainable fashion and bringing together two industries that rarely intersect.
Led by recent graduate Fredo Medina-Ortega `25 (BA, Fashion Merchandising), the project kicked off in January within Columbia’s Fashion Lab, where Colbey Reid, director of Columbia’s School of Fashion, appointed a team of three students to explore how fashion could play a role in the event. After pitching their concept directly to NASCAR Chicago Street Race President Julie Giese in April, the students were hired as interns to bring their visions to life. “The designers answered a call in early June and had just two weeks to create their looks,” Reid told Block Club Chicago. “It was a tight turnaround, but they pulled it off beautifully.”
Video used with permission from The Columbia Chronicle
Designers were tasked with creating complete runway looks using unconventional NASCAR-donated materials: old uniforms, branded merchandise, packaging, Velcro signage, netting, and car parts. “This was about introducing our designers to a high-pressure situation,” Reid told WGN, noting that the collaboration mirrored the realities of industry work while connecting students directly with one of Chicago’s largest cultural events.
The fashion show was staged outdoors in Grant Park after the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. Models walked the runway with the city skyline and racecourse as their backdrop, as more than 2,000 fans voted for their favorite designs. The winners included:
First Place ($1,500): Mora Forkapa created a black-and-white look featuring tire print details and a skirt made from driver safety netting.
Second Place ($1,000): Jorge Espinoza designed a tailored two-piece outfit inspired by racing legend Shirley Muldowney.
Third Place ($500): Maria Moreno presented a feminine streetwear ensemble with a cropped jacket and skirt.
Giese told The Columbia Chronicle that the partnership reflects NASCAR’s mission to reach new audiences in unexpected ways. “These students brought a fresh perspective to NASCAR,” she says.
The collaboration also engaged students across disciplines. Designers sourced their own models, and members of Columbia’s photo club documented the event. NASCAR materials used in the designs are now displayed in the college’s 618 S. Michigan Ave. first-floor windows, with plans underway to exhibit the full collection on campus.
Columbia President and CEO Shantay Bolton, who attended the race just days into her tenure, described the partnership as “a wonderful way for students to express and highlight their talents,” in an interview with The Columbia Chronicle.
For Reid, the project embodies what Columbia does best. “To see 18 students so jazzed to be working on this around the clock just really made me happy,” she told Block Club Chicago.
This partnership is just the latest example of how Columbia College Chicago students redefine what’s possible—taking creativity from concept to consumer, and from classroom to the streets of Chicago.