MESH Deceptacon | Events | dailyuw.com

MESH models pose at the University of Washington’s MESH Club EXPO: “Deceptacon” in the UW’s HUB building on Feb. 22, 2025 in Seattle.

What initiates fashion? Is it trends? Politics? Weather? MESH answered this question at their annual convention entitled “Decepticon,” a five-hour marathon of fashion, mentorship, and cultural celebration.

Stepping into the HUB ballroom, I felt as though I had fallen into a modern-day Wonderland. From vividly eccentric styles, to choreographed performances in spandex, to a group of robots rolling around the ballroom, the expo seemed to bleed avant-garde confidence.

“Our theme for this year is mirage,” Third-year collaboration director and modeling lead Rasheed al Hejailan said. “Deceptacon is centered around deception, illusions, shadows, veils. Something that’s there, but not really there ... this year, we really wanted to emphasize the average UW student’s creativity, because that is what Mesh does as a platform for people to have a creative outlet.”

Fashion RSO MESH was formed in the fall of 2021, with its prime objective being to support young designers breaking into the sustainable fashion industry. Since then it has established a widespread community that is aiding in the growing revival of the Seattle fashion scene both on campus and in the city.

“We really do want to emphasize the Seattle fashion scene as well as the UW fashion scene, because there is so much to explore in the city that no one really talks about,” Hejailan said. “We want to give them a platform to advocate and promote themselves, so people know what’s going on past the boundaries of this campus ... Having all these external groups join us today is such a huge honor, and it also feels like we’re kind of giving back to the community.”

The expo opened with a designer workshop led by Eyelet Creative, a sustainable fashion company founded last year by UW alumni. Co-founders Jessi May and Nico Karpf walked an eager crowd through a crash course on creating a fashion line, highlighting the importance of self-expression.

“To me, MESH is a lot about community and art,” May said. “MESH and Eyelet are fashion organizations, but we aren't [the] fashion industry, we’re not trying to sell you something. It’s fashion as expression and craft.”

On stage, the non-profit organization The Chayah Movement hosted a panel of designers discussing how to remain relevant in a world of fast fashion and megatrends.

“We all have a Patagonia, North Face uniform in Washington,” the founder of fashion brand La Paisa, Natalia Monalvo, said. “The mentality we have here is that fashion is not important, even though it is such a statement of your personality that could really speak to so many people... It makes me so happy seeing people come into this event dressed in their personality.”

Born in Colombia and coming to the United States with her family at 14, Monalvo grew up with immense pressure to follow a career that would provide for her family's future instead of pursuing her dream job as a designer. Many at UW share the same responsibility. She believes a passion for self-portrayal can be found in any career path, but you have to follow your interests.

The convention’s vendors echoed Monalvo’s philosophy, reaching well outside of the fashion community to the medical fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon and UW Advanced Robotics. They displayed art from the STEM world in the form of body-painted veins and mechanically engineered robots.

Just when I felt like I was getting my bearings in this brave new world, K-pop dance RSO the Kompany stunned me with three performances, each individualized by fashion and choreography ranging from leather jackets and spandex shorts to dark jeans and red plaid.

“Everyone loves a good aesthetic, and MESH is all about visuals and wonder. We want people to come into our events and be flabbergasted by what they’re seeing,” Hejailan said.

A goal which MESH has undoubtedly accomplished with this expo.

The expo wrapped up with a mini fashion show of traditional styles from an array of cultural RSOs. Showcasing what the event had proven all afternoon, that fashion never came from trends, it was in fact cultivated by culture and community.

Mesh expects to attain a sufficient profit from Decepticon, mirroring last year’s revenue of $1,500 in ticket sales. The proceeds will go towards MESH’s upcoming fashion show May 17.

Reach writer Isabelle Greenberg at [email protected]. X: @Isa05_Greenberg

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