Fashion goes from raceway to runway ahead of NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race

CHICAGO (WGN) — Just blocks from where the NASCAR Chicago Street Race will take place, motors of a different kind hummed along at Columbia College Chicago on Wabash Avenue.

Those motors belonged to sewing machines, and on the 7th floor of the school’s fashion studio, junior fashion studies major Amuath Amaoudi wasn’t a driver in a street race, but he was involved in a race of a different kind.

Amaoudi is one of 16 college students designing NASCAR-themed clothes for a fashion competition that will be judged right after the final race on Sunday.

“The timeline was pretty stressful,” Amaoudi said.

Students had just two weeks to transform an idea into reality for the competition.

“We wanted to introduce our designers to a high-pressure situation,” said Colbey Reid, Director of the School of Fashion and Design at Columbia College Chicago.

But Amaoudi believes the design he created for a pair of shorts can help net him the competition’s $1,500 grand prize. The shorts incorporate the sport’s famed checkered flag at the finish line.

“I was working on a pair of shorts. I’m going to have a cool little woven part, which should hopefully make out a checkered pattern, to obviously symbolize the finish flag,” Amaoudi said.

NASCAR provided real race equipment, like tires and helmets, to inspire the students, as well as material donations for students to incorporate into their garments.

A unique detail about the materials is that they are recycled, according to Reid.

“So, if a designer wanted to work with Velcro, they might ask, ‘Can I tale a little bit of the Velcro backing?'” She said.

Monday was the deadline for students to submit their final pieces. once the design process was completed, their final products were displayed in a storefront ahead of the fashion show.

“We kind of like something that feels like ‘errr’ and people are like, ‘what is that.?'” Reid said. “How does fashion fit in with NASCAR?”

The raceway and the runway may seem like an odd partnership, but it’s actually a perfect fit, according to NASCAR’s Keyla Pillacela.

“They seem to be separate, but we wanted innovation, and we wanted this new mix,” Pillacela said. “The younger audience brings a unique perspective to NASCAR.”

Chicago’s bright, young fashion minds, bringing style to Chicago’s NASCAR Street Race

“I’m honestly so excited,” Amaoudi said. ” I told my family and friends about it, they’re like, ‘Oh my God. NASCAR?‘ Like, super exciting.”