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 2025

Archived family fabrics, post-apocalyptic themes and textiles derived from nature were just a few of the elements featured at this year’s Apparel Design runway show Collection 2025. Held in late May at the WaterFire Arts Center, the event showcased 74 looks by a dozen graduating seniors.

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.

Read about past thesis shows

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].

Two models standing in a field

Fashion on Film

Apparel Design seniors present their thesis collections via (Un)finished, an intensely personal cinematic compilation.