Denton, Texas -- The runway came alive on the evening of Friday, May 2, at Texas Woman’s University’s annual Senior Fashion Showcase, held at the Blagg-Huey Library. Hosted by the Division of Fashion Design and Merchandising, the event spotlighted the creativity, collaboration, and talent of graduating students in both design and merchandising. The evening featured two major components: a curated pop-up retail market designed by merchandising students and a high-energy runway show presenting collections of original designs by senior design students.
This year’s theme, Chateau Bordeaux, was inspired by the long-awaited return of TWU Fashion’s study abroad experience in Paris. Thirty students will head to France this May, marking the program’s first international trip since the pandemic.
“It’s a class students can choose for an elective," said Anna Magie, PhD, professor and division head, fashion design and merchandising. "It's only a week long, but they see all of the fashion sites within a week. The Louvre has an exhibit this year they've never had before called Louvre Couture, an exhibit 200 years in the making.”
In addition to celebrating senior creativity, the event serves as a capstone for students across every year and discipline of the program. Seniors in design and merchandising presented their final collections and retail concepts, juniors managed event planning, sophomores operated the retail market, and first-year students provided volunteer support.
"All senior students in fashion design and merchandising showcased their work,” said Remy Odukomaiya, MFA, lecturer, fashion design and merchandising. “It's good for the department because it shows a more rounded view of what we do, that we don't only make garments. We are also in the business of fashion."
Magie added, “The showcase blends design and merchandising, working together as it will happen in industry. A lot of other schools just design in one program, merchandise in another, maybe even fashion marketing in another. But we're all intertwined here, so I think it helps students when they graduate.”
About TWU: Texas Woman’s University is the nation’s largest woman-focused university system with campuses in Denton, Dallas and Houston. Founded in 1901, TWU has built a reputation on contributions in nursing, healthcare, education, the arts and sciences, and business. TWU’s inclusive culture prioritizes experiential learning, leadership, service, discovery and health and wellbeing, and national media have recognized the university as a top college for student-parents, veterans and social mobility. In 2023, TWU publicly launched Dream Big, a $125 million fundraising effort to support programming, equipment, scholarships and faculty. To learn more about the campaign or the university, visit dreambig.twu.edu or twu.edu, or connect with TWU on Facebook @TexasWomansUniversity, Instagram @txwomans, Twitter @txwomans, and LinkedIn @texaswomansuniversity.
