Models gather to showcase a collection for FPA’s 2024 spring fashion show. Credit: Courtesy of FPA
Ohio State student fashion designers are gearing up to bring their personal stories to life on the runway this weekend.
The Fashion Production Association will host its 33rd annual fashion show, titled “The Anthology: In the End, We All Become Stories,” Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Ohio Union’s Archie Griffin Ballroom.
Ellie Michaelis, a third-year in marketing and co-president of FPA, said the association’s annual fashion show is entirely student-run, from the designs and models to the hair and makeup.
“The show is fully student-run, with assistance from our amazing advisors for guidance,” Michaelis said. “We even outsource our hair and makeup team, connecting with the Paul Mitchell School of Columbus students.”
Mekhiya Martin, a third-year in fashion and retail studies and co-director of design for FPA, said this year’s show will include 66 designs from 22 total designers — four collections with two designers each, along with 14 solo designers.
Martin said the co-presidents choose a different theme each year, but the concept is developed collaboratively during the first semester, with designers creating mood boards to bring it to life. She said this year’s broad theme of “stories” was intentionally chosen to give designers the freedom to interpret and express their own distinct narratives.
“Some designers are doing more classical stories — one is doing ‘Cinderella’ and another is doing ‘Alice in Wonderland’ — but some are more niche, drawing inspiration from a specific song or a story from their own lives,” Martin said.
Alexandra Suer, senior lecturer in fashion and retail studies and faculty advisor for FPA, said that like previous themes — such as “Elemental” in 2022, “Rebirth” in 2023 and “The House of FPA: Where Fashion Lives” in 2024 — this year’s concept lets the featured designers have full creative control.
“I think it’s really personal to each of the different designers, whether they wanted that story to be more about their own personal connections, or if they were excited about reinterpreting something that was existing,” Suer said.
Suer said compared to last year’s show, more students are incorporating recycled and upcycled materials into their designs for 2025, creating an additional theme of sustainability.
“We have at least three or four collections [where] students are really exploring unconventional materials for their garments,” Suer said. “They’re doing something a little more innovative with upcycling materials that you would not expect to be garments.”
Suer said this year’s show also introduced new initiatives, including a model call — which gave more students the opportunity to participate compared to previous years, when designers selected their own models — and a silent auction to help fund materials for the designers.
“We really wanted to give back to the student designers this year because they go out and buy their own fabrics to create their collections,” Suer said. “The model call was something we tried this year to really allow more students the chance to get involved with the show.”
Michaelis said the show ultimately comes to life thanks to the hard work and dedication of students, including the design, marketing and social media teams.
“The show is definitely special to all of us: to our designers, to our models, to our production members, to our hair and makeup artists, to our corporate sponsors, to our silent auction donors, to our friends and family who are willing to pay and buy tickets to support our show,” Michaelis said.
Doors for the event will open at 6:30 p.m., and the show will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are available online in advance or at the door: $8 for children 12 and under, and $20 for general admission.
For more information, including how to purchase tickets, visit FPA’s Instagram page.
