Students were buzzing in their finest as they lined up under the iconic arches of Main Quad for the FashionX runway in Memorial Church. Thrumming electronic house beats befitting a nightclub filled the space as families and friends of the designers and models filtered into the pews. 

Saturday’s event was FashionX’s third annual runway since 2023. The show was themed “Metamorphosis: Becoming the Future of Fashion” and featured the work of more than 80 student designers and over 120 student models. Held in Memorial Church for the second year, tickets for the much-anticipated event initially sold out within two minutes of release.

Lynn Collardin ’26, one of the five FashionX Directors of Runway, explained the vision behind Metamorphosis. Since the runway’s premiere in 2022, designers “experimented with many methodologies for fashion design like 3D printing, so we wanted to think about how we could incorporate those unique technical capabilities,” Collardin said. 

This year, the team hoped to cover a wide range of looks, from traditional, elegant gowns to more futuristic pieces, according to Collardin.

The theme of transformation from history and tradition to the speculative future was immediately captured in the show’s soundscape. The runway opened with the sounds of the live string orchestra tuning, before transitioning into the soundtrack mix which reverberated throughout the church as the lights gradually brightened, featuring a Space Odyssey-inspired opening by trumpet soloist Katie Sharp and underlying drums.

The designs displayed on the catwalk were constructed from a variety of materials including algae, aluminium, peacock feathers, 3D-printed plastic and mirror shards. Some pieces flowed with floor-length veils and skirts, while others featured intricate external structures including a huge pair of robo-skeletal arms and a ball-bearing rotating hoop belt.

Sidharth Gopisetty ’25, FashionX Director of Internal, designed the opening look of the show, which featured a vast blue-green iridescent structure opening out like a shell behind the model, Riya Narayan ‘26. 

“I tried to encompass the sea and a mermaid, which I feel is a form of metamorphosis, the idea of change and movement, as her dress has a beautiful movement in the light,” Gopisetty said.

Meanwhile, Alexander Chon ‘25, a first-time designer, created a piece merging cultural motifs with modern design, inspired by his model Lucy Duckworth’s ’25 heritage as a Chinese-American. “Chinese porcelain is something very ornate and delicate,” Chon said.

To match with the runway’s theme, Chon wanted to integrate the porcelain concept into “something sturdy, rigid and rugged-looking but still maintaining that elegant look,” he said. “That’s why we went with the denim top and canvas pants. The cherry on top is the back pockets – Lucy’s grandmother is a calligraphy artist, so she wrote Lucy’s name in Chinese. I vectorized it and cut it out and made it into a felt appliqué.” Chon spent over 100 hours creating the look. 

Collardin collaborated with co-director Emmy Sharp ’24 on a futuristic piece featuring a metal cage skirt with 3D-printed chainmail detail. Collardin explained that the design aimed to highlight the methodologies behind creating fashion. “We thought it was a really cool way to experiment with different types of metal and plastic and fabric and see how it all merges together,” Collardin said.

Behind the scenes, extensive preparation went into making the show a success. As FashionX Director of Education, Upamanyu Dass-Vattam ’25 focused on “teaching all the first-time designers how to sew” while also designing six looks for the show.

Models also underwent rigorous training, according to Aili McGregor ’26, who modeled for Demir Sonar ’28. Over two months, McGregor described mandatory practices in the d.school where the models learned how to walk.

The experience was transformative for the audience as well.

Audience member Emily Liu ’26 thinks Stanford should have more regular fashion events “so that it isn’t so hard to get tickets for the one time it happens.”

The show ended with the same trumpet motif by Sharp as the introduction, bringing all designers and models onstage.

Reflecting on the event, Collardin emphasized the collaboration behind Runway. “I think the [FashionX] community is only going to get bigger, and I think that people are just happy to be part of such a collectively focused group of people on campus,” she said.

Rather than a curation of individual designers and models, Collardin found that the production felt much more like “a huge unit of people and production parts. We’re all coming together and making this thing.”

FashionX co-President Chloe Ha ’25 said the fashion industry is “such an exclusive space and community. But with FashionX, we really have been trying to emphasize that we’re open to all.” 

“Runway is such a perfect example of bringing together people and wanting to celebrate all the creativity and talent that’s just found door-to-door in every dorm or every walk of life at Stanford,” Ha said.

This article has been updated to include the name of the trumpet soloist, Katie Sharp.