Cameron Thomas, a UNLV student and founder of Runway Rebels, was awarded the Las Vegas Fashion Council Volunteer (LVFC) of the Year Award. The award is the first-ever released by the organization. LVFC founder Carrie Cooper presented the award at the annual Little Black Dress event on Friday, Jan. 18. As a result, the Runway Rebels and LVFC have developed an ongoing partnership that Thomas hopes will extend past his time at UNLV.
Having seen the need for a fashion spark on campus, Thomas started the club during his freshman semester. “I just started that [Runway Rebels] because I was going to go to fashion school back in San Francisco but had to deny it due to it being too expensive. I wasn’t interested in going to college, but when I was down here, I didn’t have a space to express my creativity nor did other students.”
Runway Rebels had its debut performance at artLIVE, a Las Vegas Fashion Council event, where they presented mannequins for the show. Thomas explained that the mannequins were symbolic of their club and expressed their commitment to a fashionable future. After artLIVE, Runway Rebels was set to participate in the Little Black Dress event on Dec. 7. However, due to the mass shooting that occurred on UNLV’s campus the day prior, the event was canceled as an act of solidarity.
The event was rescheduled to Jan. 18, with Thomas’ enthusiasm and dedication to the performance, earning the Runway Rebels the Volunteer of the Year award from the LVFC.
“I worked on the Las Vegas Fashion Council now, so we actually helped them with most of their events the last two weeks. We did the Little Black Dress event that we hosted, and soon, there will be other events in the future about them that we’re doing.”
Thomas, a freshman student, hopes that Runway Rebels leaves a positive impression on incoming UNLV rebels, outdating his time at the university. “I hope I can leave an impression of how I was just a creative individual and a motivated individual that decided to put my foot first and actually start something. I didn’t have the experience, I just wanted people to know that I was a very dedicated individual. That’s why I’m doing all these things.”
Thomas is also a CSUN senator, representing the College of Liberal Arts. Students looking to get involved with Runway Rebels can stay updated on all upcoming events by following the club on Instagram @runwayrebelz.
