Geek meets chic yet again at Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC), as 24 finalists take the stage for the sixth-annual Her Universe Fashion Show. According to Her Universe Founder Ashley Eckstein, fans will see some exciting new features this year. “We keep the spirit of the show the same, but it’s always different every year,” she says, explaining that the event adapts to best reflect current culture.
One new portion of this year’s show will highlight the winners of the first Cartoon Network Junior Design Contest, which was open to aspiring designers under the age of 18. Eckstein says they originally planned to crown only three winners for this competition, but ultimately chose an additional three honorable-mention winners. “Honestly, we just couldn’t choose,” Eckstein says. “There were so many designers who showed so much potential talent and promise. We had to feature them as well.”
For the first time, the competition also has a pre-established theme. The shows have a theme every year, but it typically emerges after the designers have submitted their work. This year, however, the designers were given the theme “The Power of Fashion” to work into their designs (for reasons that Eckstein says will become clear during fashion show). This theme, which originated from working with DreamWorks’ She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, encouraged the designers to take inspiration from anything they found powerful, such as a character, a property, or a film. “I’m always inspired by powerful characters in fashion,” Eckstein says. “I think of our designs like armor. So when you’re putting it on for the day, it’s like you’re armored to go on and take on the day.” Eckstein herself will wear a few different suits of armor throughout the premiere event: For the first time since 2015, she’ll wear three different dresses. She also reminds everyone attending to wear their own geek fashion, cosplay, or outfit they love because they will have a chance to walk the runway during the Cartoon Network intermission.
Before and after that intermission, fans will see fandom-inspired outfits from 24 finalists. This year’s judges include last year’s fashion show winners: Cynthia Kirkland, Jane Burson, and Kristi Siedow-Thompson. The finalists come from all across the country, some with years of design experience and some with none at all. Learn a little bit more about all 24 of them below, and check out this site on July 18 to see the winners and highlights from the event!
Adria Sanchez-Chaidez (Adria Renee)
Instagram: @adria.renee
Design Title: Destination: Isla Nublar
Home State: California
Fun Fact: Sanchez-Chaidez is a self-taught designer, raised in “a household of strong and artistic women.”
Allyson (Ally) Crocker
Instagram: @lueah
Design Title: Bring Me Back to the Brienne-ing
Home State: California
Fun Fact: Crocker fell in love with fashion and costume design after watching The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition.
Andrea Ohnesorge
Instagram: @spectacular1771
Design Title: My Unicorn
Home State: Louisiana
Fun Fact: Ohnesorge has aspirations of starting a plus-size fashion label, specializing in suits and amazing prints.
Britley Morgan Smith
Instagram: @HazelNewtBrett
Design Title: Moon Healing Escalation
Home State: California
Fun Fact: Outside of fashion, Smith also works in ceramics and has an illustrious career in spoiling her cat, Hermann.
Brianna Casper
Instagram: @Ghost_Banana
Design Title: Off With Her Head
Home State: Virginia
Fun Fact: Casper’s design aesthetic is partially inspired by the world of Japanese street fashion.
Christine Geiger
Instagram: @geigeruppercut
Design Title: A Horsey of a Different Color
Home State: California
Fun Fact: Outside of work, Geiger loves to cosplay and find any excuse to wear a costume. She is convinced she could pull together a look for any theme party in less than half an hour.
Cindy Guillermo Heselton
Instagram: @sinnanoms
Design Title: The Night Queen
Home State: Virginia
Fun Fact: Guillermo Heselton is a technical designer for the streetwear brand Billionaire Boys Club, and she enjoys helping other independent designers develop their own lines.
Elizabeth (Liz) Todd
Instagram: @ambrose_cosplay
Design Title: Duck Couture (Wooo-ooo!)
Home State: Arizona
Fun Fact: Todd placed in Phoenix’s cosplay masquerade for the past three years, Wondercon’s masquerade for the past two years, and won “Best in Show” at SDCC’s masquerade last year.
Elizabeth (Lisa) Truong
Instagram: @a_siren
Design Title: The Spirit of Hope
Home State: California
Fun Fact: Truong learned to sew at a young age from her mother and was always making dresses for her dolls and herself.
Ericka Angiuli
Instagram: @Eangiuli
Design Title: Avenge the Fallen
Home State: California
Fun Fact: Angiuli works as a costume designer for Creative Costuming & Design, where she creates costumes for the marching arts and dance teams.
Hailey Jensen
Design Title: Dreams Come True
Home State: California
Fun Fact: Jensen’s design is inspired by “that magical feeling you get when you walk down Main Street [at Disney] and see the castle for the first time.”
Heather Smith
Instagram: @Geekanista5
Design Title: He’s No Good to Me Dead. Boba Fett — Star Wars
Home State: Texas
Fun Fact: Smith is a self-taught seamstress who “studied at the University of YouTube with a degree in figure-it-out and minor in seam-ripping.”
Jennifer Clark
Instagram: @jenny.clark.1218
Design Title:Something Wicked
Home State: California
Fun Fact:Clark has designed several independent films, and she loves to take fantastical garments and make them wearable for every woman.
Jillian (Jill N.) Nofziger
Instagram: @jillnndesign
Design Title:The Mistress of All Evil
Home State:California
Fun Fact: Nofziger works as a freelance designer and a costumer in the TV/film industry and resides with her husband, Welsh corgi, and black cat.
Kathyrn Henzler
Instagram: @fullmetal_flamingo
Design Title: The Lady of Lórien and Light
Home State: Ohio
Fun Fact: Henzler has used vegan fabrics for years, but her endeavor now is to switch to fabrics that are organic, fair-trade, and environmentally friendly whenever possible.
Kendra Raymond
Instagram: @aml_designs
Design Title: Gotham City Socialite — Catwoman Origins
Home State: California
Fun Fact: Raymond is working on her second degree for TV/film costume design.
Kimberly Burns
Instagram: @Kberry723
Design Title: Heart of Kyber
Home State: Florida
Fun Fact: Burns turned her interest in fashion and costumes into a career, earning a degree in apparel design and becoming a fashion and costume designer.
Leigh Denning (Lizard Leigh)
Instagram: @HeyLizardLeigh
Design Title: A Diamond by Any Other Name
Home State: New York
Fun Fact: Denning is passionate about the intersection of cosplay, drag, and fashion. Leigh enjoys creating complex garments with detailed references and Easter eggs for fellow superfans.
Olivia Mears
Instagram: @avantgeek
Design Title: She-Ra, The Princess of Power Suits
Home State: North Carolina
Fun Fact: Mears’ work has been worn in commercials for Taco Bell, featured on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and represented at MTV’s VMAs.
Samantha Haag
Instagram: @acesthetic27
Design Title: IcyHot Vogue
Home State: Florida
Fun Fact: Haag doesn’t work in any fashion-related field, nor did she go to school for it. She entered the Her Universe competition for fun!
Samantha Strickland
Instagram: @unoriginalsam85
Design Title: IT Girl
Home State: Florida
Fun Fact: Strickland has been sewing since she was in high school, when the drama teacher decided she was the costume director for the school play.
Sarah Hambly
Instagram: @officialhambly
Design Title: BODAK Green
Home State: Nevada
Fun Fact: Hambly’s love of pop culture stemmed from her family’s small video store business, where she often found herself drawing pop culture-inspired work.
Sarah Timm
Instagram: @breathcue
Design Title: Welcome to Neptune
Home State: California
Fun Fact: Timm started altering and making her own clothes in high school with guidance from her mother.
Wes Jenkins
Instagram: @artofwesjenkins
Design Title: Oogie Boogie’s Winter Ball — The Nightmare Before Christmas
Home State: Florida
Fun Fact: Jenkins and his wife, Jen, enjoy going to every Dapper Day at Disney World dressed in his creations.
The sixth-annual Her Universe fashion show is on Thursday, July 18 in the Manchester Grand Hyatt’s Harbor Ballroom. Line up starts at 1 p.m., doors open at 5:15 p.m., and the show starts at 6 p.m. Admission is free, but seating is limited.
Photos: Her Universe
This article was originally published in the Pop Insider’s Summer 2019 Issue No. 4, click here to read more!
