Since founding IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre 27 years ago, Cheryl Flaharty has had no problems conceiving the extravagant, ingenious costumes needed to bring her fantasias to life.

Characters have included living fountains, giant undulating blossoms, spiny sea creatures, an assortment of Eastern and Western dieties, and even a walking, working hookah.

One would never guess that Flaharty, the company’s artistic director, had any problems relaying ideas to those who help to construct and sew the voluminous fantasy pieces. She didn’t think so either until she started binge-watching episodes of “Project Runway.”

While working on bringing IONA’s annual fundraiser, “IONA­sphere,” to the Sheraton Waikiki Saturday night, Flaharty said she realized that her rough sketches left her in the position of explaining and being hands-on in the creation of the costumes, when her time could have been better spent on choreography and developing storylines.

She decided to study fashion illustration, and brought her newfound skills to fruition with “IONAsphere,” creating costumes for 20 dancers who will interact with the crowd.

“IONAsphere” combines performance and sustenance; it’s an entertainment and dinner experience with roving performers, food stations and paired wines.

The presentation has a cosmic theme, centering on the living tarot and its archetypes.

AS A dancer, Flaharty discovered butoh, an art form that spoke to her through its ability to communicate stories through silence. She started IONA with a mission of creating positive change by staging thoughtful, provocative works that encourage dialogue and spiritual growth.

“I never took art classes,” she said. “I was always in journalism and dance.”

Taking Cheri Vasek’s fashion illustration class brought Flaherty back to basics of rendering the human form, understanding fabric textures and working with watercolors.

Building on her fascination with “Project Runway” and its use of unconventional materials in fashion design challenges, Flaherty started looking at materials such as pink anti-static plastic sheeting, vinyl, and green foil bubble wrap as her next challenge.

“What I see changed is my sketches are now in proportion with the body, they’re done correctly, so I refer back to them all the time.

“I can say, ‘Look how this unfolds this way,’ or ‘See how this headdress is one head higher than her head,’” Flaherty said. “It’s been super helpful because, considering all the things we create, none of us had any formal training in fashion; but we’ve done pretty good.”

THE PROCESS of learning illustration also spurred Flaherty to think creatively about collaboration with other designers.

“I keep thinking we’ve got to get Kini Zamora because he’s a construction wiz and he also does a lot of big forms,” she said, mentioning the rising design star, who competed in “Project Runway.”

While Flaharty is looking forward to one day meeting Zamora, one celeb IONA did corral was ukulele star Taimane Gardner — known as Taimane — who makes her debut with the troupe at “IONAsphere.”

“She took two butoh classes from me and she’s a natural. She’ll be wearing a new costume,” said Flaharty, who is entrusting Gardner with the significant role of the tarot’s High Priestess despite her newbie status.

“It’s one thing to dance at a gala. It’s another to be wearing a new costume, and a really big costume, one with a large collar that acts like a sail in the wind,” said Flaharty.

Nonetheless, Flaharty is confident Gardner will be able to manage the situation because of her lengthy history of performing on the street and on stage.

In the process of developing the showcase, Flaharty said, “I’m finally accepting the fact that I am a costume designer — and at times I feel like I’m on ‘Project Runway,’ when we’re just working, working, working, just making it work, trying to get it done.”