Class has been dismissed for most college students, but some recent graduates are still flying high from their final runway shows.

While powerhouse fashion design schools like The New School’s Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology get their share of attention for runway shows, WWD has caught up with seven other learning institutions about their catwalk highlights.

The College for Creative Studies

The basics: The CCS Fashion Show celebrated a decade of fashion design education with its fifth show at the General Motors Design Dome on April 26 that featured 100-plus looks from 26 students. The event’s “Detroit Icons” theme honored the city’s legendary individuals and cultural movements.

Standouts: Senior Nicholas Madruga’s 3D-printed wearable footwear, which was said to be a first for a CCS show, in terms of engineering precision and commercial viability. Another standout collection came from Junior Veronica Wardowski, who drew inspiration from her classical violin background and combined wool, cotton and bentwood for a poetic fusion of materials.

Anything new: “The Show” attracted more than 400 guests, including representatives from Martine Rose, Louis Vuitton, Carhartt,  Hermès, Calvin Klein, Caleres Inc., and other major brands. Also, senior students presented their collections to a jury of international fashion industry leaders at the historic and refurbished Michigan Central Station.

 
Otis College of Art and Design

The basics: The annual Otis College Fashion Design fashion show took place on May 10 on its West Los Angeles campus with 45 juniors and 34 seniors in the Fashion Design department debuting 120 looks. They collaborated with mentors like Jonathan Cohen, Zaid Affas, David Meister, Julie de Libran and Vanessa Khattar, as well as Agolde’s Jack Burns, RTA’s David Rimokh and VFiles’ Leonardo Lawson among others. This year’s theme was “Kaleidoscope.”

Standouts: A formal dress by Erin Bond that was executed through a West Coast Exports-sponsored mentorship project. A sustainable look by Clarke Wu that played off the aforementioned Cohen’s spring 2024 “Punk Impressionism” collection.

Anything new: For the Activision-supported mentor project, juniors created looks for a virtual runway show that reimagined mythological beings for a new era. The digital creations were projected onto a giant LCD screen as part of a virtual runway during the fashion show. 

Pratt Institute

The basics: This year’s “Pratt Shows: Fashion” was held on May 16 at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn, where 30 seniors showcased their thesis collections. It was paired with “Pratt Shows: Design,” where 33 others had their work exhibited, in order to create two halves of a whole.

Standouts: Kalen Whitehead closed the show with a rust macramé floor-length coat which was inspired by John Bowlby’s theory of attachment. Interestingly, the coat will break down and disintegrate over time. Another standout was Christen Lee’s knee-length quilted denim skirt with yellow stitching and crinoline touches.

Anything new: This was Fashion chair Lisa Z. Morgan’s first fashion show at Pratt, which marked a new chapter. Also, the London-based menswear designer Nicholas Daley was honored for his blend of heritage, identity and community-driven craftsmanship. Another honoree was senior Haeone Son, who won the Christopher Hunte “OnPoint” Award, which is a $10,000 prize.

Rhode Island School of Design

The basics: The RISD Apparel Collection ‘25 runway show was held at the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence, R.I. on May 28 with 12 seniors showing a total of 74 looks. Although there was not a theme, there were some similarities in the students’ imaginative visions such as dystopian futures, according to RISD’s Apparel Design department head Gwen van den Eijnde.  

Standouts: Adrian Aviles, who is known as “Avidron,” created a sculptural leather jacket and pants embossed with upcycled computer circuits. Jersey Bond’s closing look was another standout — a large muslin gown that was covered with masking tape for a painterly effect. 

Anything new: An abundance of work that required inventive craftsmanship and blended art and fashion. Van den Eijnde curated the students’ work in the show’s scenography and its visuals.

Savannah College of Art & Design
The basics: The SCAD Fashion 2025 runway show was held at SCAD Atlanta on May 16 and featured the designs of 52-plus senior and graduate students. SCAD fibers alums Trish Andersen and Lærke Lillelund helped create the bespoke runway. SCAD performing arts student Wayne Bucknor Jr., the Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter and DJ Aaron Alban, and SCAD film and television student Maxwell Park pitched in with the music.  

Standouts: Senior collections from Logan Fluharty from SCAD Savannah fashion design program and Lyndsey Baik from SCAD Atlanta fashion design program.

Anything new: Choreographer and movement director Emma Chadwick offered guidance to SCAD models. Celebrity makeup artist and Tatcha’s global director of artistry Daniel Martin oversaw the beauty side of things.

Istituto Marangoni Miami

The basics: The Istituto Marangoni Miami 2025 runway show was held on May 15 at the Palm Court in the Miami Design District. Eighteen fashion design students participated and drew inspiration from the show’s theme of  “Volare,” which is meant to relay sentiments of flight, freedom and limitless creativity.

Standouts: Istituto Marangoni Miami and the Miami Design District launched the IMM x MDD Scholarship Fund. Model and IMM advisory board member Karolína Kurková walked in and closed the runway show in a look by Ilayda Polat.

Anything new: Three of the looks by fashion design students Emilia Mourier, Mariana Jimenez, and Nina Talpe were created with Swarovski crystals through a new alliance between the company and the school.

Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis

The Basics: The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis presented its 96^th annual Fashion Design show on April 26 in the university’s historic Holmes Lounge. Forty-eight students participated in the show, which was based on the theme “Voilà: Revealing fashion of today for another tomorrow.”

Standouts: Brooke Cowan’s minimalist “Day Moon” jersey dresses that featured her own leather belts and hand-sculpted buckles; and Vivian Nguyen’s “Red String of Fate” brocade dress with cascading panels of jacquard were key. 

Anything new: Senior fashion designers met with WashU alumnus Kahan Chavda, cofounder and chief commercial officer for Inversa, and Gabe Batson of local luxury goods maker Tufts & Batson to select Inversa leathers for their original handbag designs, which Batson then fabricated for the runway.