The Fashion Show

The Fashion Show: April 12, 2025

The long runway, dazzling lights, and stunning clothing designs are just one side of the acclaimed Iowa State annual Fashion Show. Spectators from around the nation pack CY Stephens Auditorium to nearly sold-out crowds of 2,500 each year — and there is much more to the Fashion Show than meets the eye.

The Fashion Show is produced entirely by students. Students from any major can apply to work on The Fashion Show, joining one of 15 committees. In addition, over 100 student design entries are showcased in the show each year. The Fashion Show provides students with enriching leadership opportunities, connections with other students, and an outlet to express their creativity.

The Fashion Show 2025 will take place on April 12 at 7 p.m. in C.Y. Stephens Auditorium. Tickets will be available in the spring.

Behind the Scenes Day – April 11!

Behind the Scenes Day is a campus visit designed for students who are considering majoring in fashion design and merchandising! Visitors participate in hands-on activities, meet with The Fashion Show leaders, hear from our guest designer, take a campus tour, and view a dress rehearsal of The Fashion Show!

Guest Company

Each year, The Fashion Show also invites a guest fashion company to present a branded runway line at The Fashion Show. The guest company is also involved with other TFS festivities, including giving presentations to high schoolers at Behind-the-Scenes Day, leading creative workshops with ISU students, and more.

The Fashion Show has been fortunate enough to draw from a pool of talented alumni to return to campus for the event. In the past, Iowa State has hosted these fine designers:

Guest Judges

Each year, four ISU alumni serve as the Guest Judges for garments entered into The Fashion Show. These judges come from different areas of fashion, including Design, Product Development, Merchandising, Styling/Publications, and Education.

Stay tuned for The Fashion Show 2025 Guest Judges!

Behind the Scenes Day

Behind the Scenes Day is designed for prospective students, their family members, high school fashion students, and their teachers to experience all that The Fashion Show has to offer. Behind the Scenes Day is held the Friday before The Fashion Show, where guests can explore campus, engage in hands-on sessions, learn from current students, and end the day viewing the dress rehearsal for The Fashion Show.

Behind the Scenes Day 2025 is on April 11, 2025.

Real-World Experience

Career builder

By participating in one of the largest student-run fashion shows in the nation, Iowa State students are exposed to leadership training and professional development that help build their portfolios and future careers. Not only do students learn how to collaborate and develop team-oriented skills, but they also discover what it means to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

From class to the runway

Being accepted as a director or committee member for The Fashion Show includes enrollment in courses within the Department of Apparel, Events, and Hospitality Management (The Fashion Show Promotion and Production course for committee members and the Fashion Show Management course for directors). Students take what they learn in the classroom and apply their new skills to this hallmark event.

Committees

Students can apply to be part of any of The Fashion Show’s 15 different committees. Positions in TFS include producers, directors, and committee members. Director applications open early fall semester and committee member applications open in late October to early November.

The Fashion Show’s 15 different committees include:

Impact in the community

While The Fashion Show is a much-anticipated event to the Iowa State campus community, the event is much more than one night of glamour and excitement. Throughout the year, the philanthropy committee gives back to the community by working with several organizations including HugHats and Dress for Success.

Submit a Design

If you are a current Iowa State student interested in submitting work for The Fashion Show, email tfsdesign@iastate.edu for more information.

Submit a Case Study

Every year, students have the opportunity to complete a case study for the Lora and Russ Talbot ISU Fashion Show Merchandising Scholarship. The case study prompt is a partnership with a leading company in the fashion industry. Students can put their merchandising skills to work by creating an innovative approach for the case study scholarship.

Stay tuned for the announcement of The Fashion Show 2025 Merchandising Case Study Prompt!

The Fashion Show 2024 Recap

The 2024 Fashion Show hit the runway on April 20th, dazzling a sellout crowd of over 2,000 people in C.Y. Stephens Auditorium. Over 150 students came together throughout the year to plan and execute this high-profile and nationally recognized event. Over 70 student designs were featured, with over 100 entries overall. Nordstrom, represented by Iowa State alums, Henry Wang, a product developer & sourcer, and Abby LaNasa, a senior technical designer, were this year’s guest company representatives and the show featured a never-before-seen collection from the company.