This spring, the inaugural class of Minnetonka High School VANTAGE Fashion students collaborated with the school’s Best Buddies program to host the first “Redefining the Runway” fashion show. The event was a fundraiser for the Best Buddies Minnetonka Chapter, a club that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Held April 25, the sold-out show brought students together in a powerful display of connection, creativity and purpose. VANTAGE Fashion students and their Best Buddies peers walked the runway side by side, with Best Buddies students modeling outfits styled by VANTAGE students. Each look—featuring clothing from local Excelsior boutiques—reflected the show’s theme, “A Day at the Lake.”

Students planned the event from start to finish and were involved in every aspect of making the day a success, explained Kaylee Wiens and Joel Coleman, VANTAGE Fashion co-instructors. “I loved seeing all the excitement and pride the VANTAGE students had as we got closer to the event. They began understanding that we were creating something even bigger and better than we ever imagined!” said Wiens. 

VANTAGE Fashion integrates Fashion Design and Global Economics, giving students authentic, hands-on experiences. Through this project, students developed and managed a budget, set ticket pricing, marketed the event, secured community partnerships and analyzed profit. On the creative side, they built relationships with their models, styled complete looks and wrote scripts highlighting each outfit and its local boutique source.

At the heart of the experience was connection. Students met multiple times leading up to the show, building relationships that extended well beyond the runway. One highlight was a “styling day” in Excelsior, where students collaborated to select outfits that helped each model feel confident and celebrated. “The joy on the runway is something we’ll never forget,” said Wiens. “This experience truly brought people together, and many of those connections have continued. One of my favorite things I’ve heard is how VANTAGE students are eating lunch with their buddies so they can still spend time together.”

“I saw incredible student growth during the process of putting on this event,” shared Coleman. “Each group of students had a great deal of responsibilities, and many of them involved coordinating with internal and external stakeholders. Their ability to be resourceful, and that they can have a big impact with their thoughtfulness, was definitely a big learning!”

Whether students pursue careers in fashion or other fields, the experience provided transferable skills in event planning, teamwork and community engagement.

“I am so proud of our VANTAGE students and instructors,” shared Brooke McMaster, Assistant Principal for Experiential Learning at MHS. “It was incredible to see VANTAGE projects taken to a whole new level. What I love the most is our students worked so hard, months of planning, so many intricate intentional details planned and executed with excellence, however, their hearts for others is what they appreciated the most. It was special to see our community shine with connection through this partnership.”

Altogether, the sold-out show raised more than $5,000 through ticket sales and door prizes. “It was so amazing to watch all the students come together to pull off an amazing and successful event that has made an impact on our community,” said Wiens. VANTAGE Fashion instructors and students are already looking forward to the second annual event in 2027, where they hope to mirror the success of this year and make it even better.

Thank You to Our Community Partners!
The Minnetonka High Schools VANTAGE and Best Buddies programs extends gratitude to the following community partners, who came together to make Redefining the Runway possible.

• شريك المشروع
  • Karen Ryan-Best Buddies Liaison
• Boutique Partners
  • Ooh La La Boutique
  • Martin’s
  • Brightwater Clothing and Gear
  • Lake Effect
  • Equation
  • Near + North
  • Ta Vor
  • سبيريت جير مينيسوتا
  • Amore & Fede
  • متجر سكيبرز بوستر
• Runway Partners
  • Excelsior Rotary
  • Hair and Makeup: Bella on the Bay
  • Intermission Performance: Electric Motion Unified Dance team
  • Fashion Show Co-Emcee: Aiden Couglin, Minnetonka High School alum and proud member of Best Buddies Chapter at the University of Minnesota. 
  • Minnetonka High School Virtual Enterprise Student Business Booths
• In Kind Donations
  • Jersey Mike’s
  • الهدف
  • Boba Tonka Bubble Tea
  • Gold Nugget
  • Pet Stuff
  • Unmapped Brewing Co.
  • General Store
  • Hair District
  • Del Sur Empanadas