College is about putting together many pieces of life. For Academy of Art University School of Fashion and cross country/track & field teammates Emily McCarty and McKaela Christenson, it was literally the case as years of work and passion culminated with their garments heading down the runway at the 2018 Graduation Fashion Show.

McCarty and Christenson's respective origin stories both began with a desire to be creative before joining ART U as student-athletes. McCarty, who would go on to study textile design, spent countless hours with shoes and merchandising working as a sales associate at Steve Madden and, when given the opportunity to pursue design while running for a program that had won two NCAA Track & Field National Championships one year prior, she took it. At a young age, Christenson's grandmother taught her how to sew and knit and she soon discovered her enjoyment of design through combinations of scrap fabric, old ties, etc.

Christenson became an Urban Knight in 2013 though an injury kept her from fully competing until 2014 when McCarty also joined the team. Both had to navigate the rigors of balancing two extremely demanding lives – that of the fashion student whose class projects required months of meticulous design work and that of the athlete whose competitive season spanned September-May with meets and/or practice nearly every day. However, with the support of teachers, teammates, and coaches, each managed to find success in both areas, contributing to steady forward progress of the cross country/track & field teams while following their artistic energies.

"I like having a very hands-on process," said Christenson, the 2014-15 PacWest Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year. "For knitwear, I developed the shapes for the final garments through many samples of knitting and draping until I was able to get it just right and knit a final sample. With my education at Academy of Art, I have gained a professional eye for quality and good design. I learned all of the building blocks for becoming an artist and designer so now it is up to me to put them all in action."

When stuck amid the creative process, sometimes the city of San Francisco provided a natural inspiration.

"I need to be inspired by something to create; really truly so entirely excited and inspired," said McCarty. "It's important for me to be finding new sources of inspiration whether it be the SFMOMA, Botanical Gardens, an old print of artwork from the flea market, or a record from one of San Francisco's many record stores. I need to constantly explore, talk to new people, or feel all the feelies to make a project I'm proud of."

Both McCarty and Christenson can take great pride in the work that led them to the Graduation Fashion Show this year. According to the Academy of Art Fashion blog, in collaboration with a fashion design student, McCarty's textile pattern projected a transition between minimalism and maximalism, using peach and teal as the most important colors, with accents of yellow and red. Inspired by her photographs of Santa Rosa fire remains and spilled paints at a table in the textile lab, she created blown-out paper stencil cutouts and drew a lot of the textures from what she called "destruction."

"Academy of Art has helped me become professional," said McCarty. "My teachers who were so hard on me about every little detail and actually cared about my work motivated me to work harder and follow through with everything I start. To now have been in the Graduation Fashion Show means I opened so many doors in the world for myself. This experience helped me see how hard I can work and how focused I can be. I have qualities that are needed in the fashion industry and I will be able to finish anything I start no matter how difficult it seems in the process."

For Christenson, the inspiration for her 3-D knits collection was derived from gestures, body movement, and the fluidity of the human form, as well as the organic shapes of hand-formed pottery by dancer and artist Paulus Berensohn.

"Being in the Graduation Fashion Show was a goal for me since visiting the school," said Christenson. "It meant the world to me to have my loved ones at the show supporting me and seeing the hard work I've put in for this ultimate culmination."

An exploration of contrasts, this year's Academy of Art Graduation Fashion Shown featured an audience of fashion industry leaders such as Alexander Fury of T Magazine and AnOther Magazine, Paris-based designer Lutz Huelle, and New York-based designer Andre Walker along with other insiders, socialites, influencers, and local and international press.

As she departs Academy of Art armed with an impressive skillset and careful eye, McCarty hopes to spend some time vacationing before settling into the next chapter of her life.

"I want to work for a successful company somewhere on the West Coast designing prints," said McCarty. "After gaining a few years of real industry experience, I want to start my own fashion company."

In the coming months, Christenson will join friends on a project focused on a farm-to-fashion concept that connects ethical labor practices and sustainability.

"In the future, I look forward to delving into other art forms and making the community and world a more sustainable and ethical place to be," said Christenson. "I am looking to make change with my art."