Hosted in Atlanta this past weekend, the show shed light on the skilled individuals prepping to enter the global fashion industry.

Atlanta is a city brimming with limitless possibilities. It aptly sits at the crux of the music industry while simultaneously being one of the nation’s homes of the omnipresent production industry. One finite source of the bustling creativity is the Savannah College of Art and Design. Though the school has multiple campuses, the Atlanta campus was the host city of SCAD FASH 2025: a visceral fashion presentation that showcased the designs of 53 student designers. The affair was well-attended and throughout the course of the weekend, largely at the show, there was a looming sense of camaraderie. At the show which featured a customized rug by SCAD alumna Trish Anderson, the designs were met with cheers, applause, and exclamations of joy.

Designing in this day and age is no small feat. Given the contentious moments we’re all living through, it’s a miracle that younger generations are studying design and the business behind building a profitable brand. The SCAD FASH presentation and the road leading up to it provide isolated moments working towards a greater good: enlisting one’s creative inclinations fused with codes that are innate to the student designers. One ideal that rung loudly at the presentation was that these students were unafraid to dream–rather than send designs down the runway that felt truncated, trendy or downright boring, the student designers chose an opposite route. And the end products, the designs they spent months toiling away on weren’t just expressive, they were also lively.  

Take for instance the work of Juliana Almandoz who looked to the concept of imagination as a force of liberation, she shared that this was her largest source of inspiration alongside the works of Keith Haring and Yayoi Kusama. Her designs were quite playful. In her three looks red, white, and black buttons were utilized to hint at the notions of whimsy that she hoped to evoke. In one look a red top with oversized puff sleeves also featured a high collar and white buttons throughout. This top was styled with a pair of dark wash jeans with matching red knit circles in assorted sizes. 

“My goal was to create pieces that felt both whimsical and forward-thinking, balancing softness with structure and storytelling with innovation,” Juliana shared. “The collection is a visual daydream,” she added. In an email, Almandoz shared that she brings a unique perspective to the global fashion industry which she draws from her Caribbean heritage, personal memories, and speculative design to create fashion that feels emotionally rich. The designer noted that she sees her design code as one that embraces play, emotion, and cultural nuance.

The sculptural designs of Sara Xuereb grabbed my attention immediately upon their debut. Inspired by the idea of silhouettes frozen in time, the designer opted to execute an “aeshetic that balances elegance and confidence with a conceptual depth rooted in pause and reflection,” Xuereb shared. What she describes as fully boned eveningwear were the looks she contributed to the presentation which she felt provided strong support to the female form. To Xuereb, the use of boned detailing is notable due to her reinterpretation of it throughout an entire dress.

“The structure of these garments mirrors the solidity of a splash frozen in time, creating a powerful contrast against the fluidity that resumes once motion continues,” the designer expressed. “By incorporating hand-painted stop-motion motifs that create the illusion of movement as the model walks, enhancing the tension between stillness and flow.”

Her end product included graceful muslin dresses with shades such as tan and maroon. The former hue was chosen for its calming and grounding presence–while maroon was selected as a visual volt meant to push the audience into a moment of stillness.

Torren Thomas tells ESSENCE that her collection is first and foremost a bridal collection. “It was important for me to marry a bridal aesthetic with hip-hop.” She added that it was unsurprisingly a challenge to bring these two together. However, she was able to intertwine these two inspiring facets by mixing fabrics and silhouettes such as lace. The inclusion of pannier and hoop skirts in each of her looks allowed the collection to ether into the Elizabethan era. To Thomas, that was done intentionally. 

“My family’s love for hip-hop was my largest source of inspiration for my bridal collection. Love is the basis of most weddings, and when I think about love I think about my family who has a very strong adoration for hip-hop,” Thomas added. “From rapping and dancing along to songs by Salt-N-Pepa and Kool Moe Dee with my parents to watching ‘Beat Street’ on repeat throughout my childhood, hip-hop has always been a big part of my life, so I naturally wanted to pay homage to it through my collection.”

The boundlessness on display this past Friday was a treat to witness. Over the course of 170 looks students were able to stake their claim within the wider fashion industry. The level of innovation that resonated most with the audience included looks that were distinct and somewhat could be immediately marketable. This notion is somewhat key to defining what is to come for the global industry. A deviation from playfulness is not on the horizon, instead, the SCAD students are mixing play with craft to dream up self-expressive creations.

“One of my favorite parts of the show was the way it highlighted the contributions of so many different SCAD students, alumni, and disciplines,” shared Dirk Standen, Dean of the SCAD School of Fashion. “Student musicians performed the beautiful live music score, fibers alumni created the striking runway carpet and backdrop, and our talented jewelry and accessory students collaborated on the majority of the looks. And that’s before we even mention the incredible work of the fashion designers themselves,” he added.