Met with cheers and applause from the audience, lights shone and music resounded throughout a sold-out Barton Hall as models strutted the U-shaped runway. It was the 41st Annual Cornell Fashion Collective Spring Runway Show, where student models showcased fellow student designs on Saturday evening.
The entirely student-run show was attended by nearly 2,000 spectators and featured looks from 55 student designers which were worn by 161 student models. CFC worked with BSI Production to set up Barton Hall with a stage, lights, cameras and chairs. The show was also sponsored by Cascade Yarns, a yarn distribution company that donated materials to designers working with knitwear. Additionally, a number of local Ithaca businesses donated raffle baskets in support of the event.
CFC provides students with the opportunity to showcase their talent in fashion management and design. Led by co-presidents Julia Roos ’25 and Mattie Nguyen ’25, the organization consists of over 180 club members who represent all seven of Cornell’s undergraduate colleges and two graduate colleges.
“CFC was established in 1984 on the core values of collaboration and expression,” Roos said in her opening speech. “CFC members represent disciplines across campus, and this diversity of backgrounds is what makes this community so special.”
Student struts the 41st Annual Cornell Fashion Collective Spring Runway Show.
There are four levels of designers in CFC — one, two, three and four — and each level designs for a different number of models. Level one designers dress one model. Level two designers are responsible for two looks and work with two models. Level three designers dress four to six models and level four designers work with a range of six to 10 models.
The show began with presentations from the level one designers. Tasked to create garments exclusively using white fabric, these 19 designers were challenged to explore design elements other than color, such as silhouette, proportion and texture.
“Every design is distinct from one another, and is a true reflection of their ability to make something extraordinary out of a shared constraint,” Roos said.
Next, the 18 level two designers each presented a pair of garments. Unlike level one’s, these designers did not adhere to an overarching theme, allowing for greater creativity and individualism. According to Roos, working with multiple models helps designers “prepare for future collections.”
To conclude the show, six level three designers and twelve level four designers presented their own collections. Each collection centered around an original theme that allowed each student to tell a story through their designs. Collections were inspired by a wide range of themes and topics, such as childhood and adolescence, fast fashion and sustainability, military attire and war and identity and anonymity.
CFC model wears a student-created outfit, which is made with four levels of designers.
Student models were met with a continuous chorus of audible admiration throughout the show, crescendoing when models altered parts of their outfits on the runway, revealing a skirt or putting on a mask. They sometimes added extra flair to their poses, twirling or blowing a kiss to the audience.
Victoria Feuer ’26 had never attended a fashion show before, and was excited to be at the show to support a friend.
“[I’m] here to support a friend who did all the graphics [for the show],” Feuer said. “I think it’s really cool that it’s all student-run. They put in so much work, and I think it’s really impressive.”
Hannah Obel ’28 first learned about CFC’s shows through promotional materials she saw from the CFC fall 2024 show, which was themed “Evening at the Circus.”
“I’m really into circus makeup and that kind of stuff, and I didn’t realize they did two shows a year, so I wanted to go to this one,” Obel said.
When asked what makes CFC’s spring runway show special, Obel pointed out the range of interest among Cornellians, and how an event like this has the ability to bring together students studying all sorts of different disciplines.
“I think that there [are] design schools where everyone is majoring in a sort of arts, but here [at Cornell], it’s a lot of people that aren’t majoring in arts, people that are majoring in a lot of different things but are just interested in fashion,” Obel said. “So I feel like it brings in a lot of different kinds of people.”
Although Kalia Cheung ’28 has previous experience as a model, this was her first time modeling for CFC.
“My favorite part of the process was when I got to walk the run through [dress rehearsal] and see everything set up. It made me even that much more excited for the show!” Cheung wrote to The Sun.
Similar to Obel, Cheung emphasized how the show brings the Cornell community together.
“I think the fact that there are so many people involved in the show and the support from the Cornell community making it a sold-out show really shows how unique and special this show is to Cornell,” Cheung wrote. “Everyone worked so hard … to put on this show. It was so rewarding to be a part of.”
