High school fashion designers rock Hurley's Walk the Walk
2011 Hurley Walk the Walk National Championships
There were back flips, back handsprings and backless shirts as high school teens worldwide strutted their stuff on the U.S. Open Music Stage at Hurley’s Walk The Walk National Championship on Thursday in Huntington Beach.
Described as “Friday Night Lights meets Project Runway,” Walk The Walk is considered as the world’s largest high school fashion competition where each of the five fashion-forward finalists, Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School, Toms River East High School, Kellam High School, Grossmont High School and Corona del Mar High School, competed to design, direct and perform their own 5-minute runway fashion show before a panel of guest celebrity and expert judges. What was at stake? One grand prize of $25,000 was rewarded to the winning high school to fund educational programs and runners up received $5,000. Hosting the event was 90210’s Tristan Wilds and acting and music sensation Vanessa Hudgens who was pretty in pink and rocked a new shorter hairdo.
The show opener was Walk The Walk’s 2010 champ and Orange County’s very own Corona del Mar High School from Newport Beach with the theme of peace, love and freedom. In addition to the splattered paint and neon tie-dye designs was the vibrant and energetic choreography.
Kellam High School from Virginia Beach, VA presented two different outfit themes: safari chic and modern glitz and glamour. The teen models/dancers/high school-ers represented themselves as the “generation now” to LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem while rockin’ with their futuristic eyewear.
Move over Snooki and Pauly D, you're not the only ones fist pumping anymore. Toms River East High School from Jersey Shore brought the fist pumping to California with the theme “Youth of the Revolution” where attitude, aggression and hair flicking all added to the badassness of their choreography.
The first-ever Canadian school to participate in Hurley’s Walk The Walk competition was chosen through a wildcard round two months prior to the championship competition. Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School (PCVS) from Ontario, Canada flew in Tuesday not only to practice choreography and touch up last minute designs, but also to adjust to the 3-hour time difference. PCVS performers came on stage with fur-trimmed Eskimo jackets only to quickly strip them off to show their avant-garde designs made for the warm Huntington Beach weather. According to celebrity guest judge Ryan Hurley, “the show was captivating.”
Last, but absolutely not the least, was Hurley’s Walk The Walk 2011 winner, San Diego’s Grossmont High School where its theme was “The Power of One” and that a single person could change the course of history. Apart from historical icons such as Honest Abe, Anne Frank, John F. Kennedy and many more, Grossmont High School made history by creating its very own anthem – The Hurley Phantom Anthem – while shimmying and shaking in Hurley Phantom board shorts.
The guest celebrity and expert judges were: Californian bred supermodel and Victoria’s Secret model Marissa Miller; The man who started it all, Hurley’s very own Bob Hurley; Pro Surfer Rob Machado; Pro Skater Paul Rodriguez aka P Rod; Pro Surfer Carissa Moore; Pro Surfer and Queen Dancer Laura Enever; Hurley’s leading designer and son to Bob Hurley, Ryan Hurley; 90210’s Gillian Zinser; Twilight star and Invisalign spokesman Boo Boo Stewart; Model turned designer Rosemary Brantley; and the machine in motocross, Mike Mason.
