Senior Thesis Show

model with curly red hair walks down a runway in a pink and pillowy gown surrounded by audience members

Every spring, Apparel Design seniors debut a unified body of work in the department’s senior thesis show. This milestone event has taken several forms—from runway shows to print lookbooks and short films. The show lets students work across mediums to share the latest fashion emerging from RISD studios.

Collection 2024

From flowing capes to intricately stitched leather to jeweled headpieces, this year’s RISD Apparel Design runway show had it all. Presented on May 24 in Providence’s WaterFire Arts Center, Collection 2024 picked up on a tradition begun in the 1970s by late, then-Department Head Lorraine Howes.

models and designers walk the runway together at the end of the show

Apparel Design Seniors Present Cohesive Collections at RISD’s Annual Runway Show

The well-crafted looks were unveiled at Providence’s WaterFire Arts Center.

2023 Senior Show Catalogue

For the spring 23 thesis exhibition, Apparel Design seniors presented their final bodies of work in Epilogue [23], a live runway show at the Fleet Library on campus. For more about Apparel Design’s class of 2023 and their work—including process photos and artist statements—flip through the Epilogue [23] exhibition catalogue. You can also read about last year’s show, as well as previous thesis collections, below.