Apparel Design Senior Thesis Show

a model in a black, 19th-century military-style uniform (with red belt and hat feather) walks a runway with audience sitting on left and right

Every spring, Apparel Design seniors debut a unified body of work in Collection, 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.

Watch: Collection 2026 preview

On May 27 at the Waterfire Art Center in Providence, graduating seniors in Apparel Design debuted their final bodies of work in Collection 26, the latest installment of this longstanding, highly anticipated annual fashion show.

Watch: Collection 2025

Past thesis shows

Models walk the runway

Apparel Design Students Showcase Self-Reflective Collections at RISD’s Annual Runway Show

Twelve aspiring designers examined a variety of themes, from disgust and desire, masculinity and femininity to post-apocalyptic worlds.

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.

A model walks down the runway in drag and a red with in a garment made by Disco Amber

Apparel Design Students Stage First Live Runway Show Since 2019

Students presented their senior thesis work in the Fleet Library at RISD in Epilogue [23].