The show began with a short video by VIM’s film team that featured the designers giving insight into what inspired the looks that graced the runway. The theme for the night was "Behind the Seams," a prompt that gave designers the freedom to draw inspiration from anything they chose. 

Co-director of fashion relations and apparel and textile senior Josephine Deveau spoke to the theme for this year’s show and the decision to center designers. 

"In previous years, we’ve had these great themes, and we just wanted to switch it up a little bit and let the designers break all the rules," Deveau said. "They all had different stories, and they were all really interesting, this was to showcase their work and put the spotlight on them."

Some designers found inspiration in the iridescent feathers of New York pigeons, while others drew from childhood memories and nostalgia. Apparel and textile design senior Kaiya Truong spent late nights in the studio preparing her Japanese streetwear-inspired collection.  

"It was a lot because every night I would stay in the studio, sew until 3 a.m., and then go home and get up for class," said Truong. "It was worth it because I get to show off what I’ve been making and what I’ve learned throughout my whole four years at MSU."

Truong has been sewing and crafting garments since she was 14 and was inspired early on by her aunt who attended fashion school. After a multi-year hiatus, she recently began designing again and has been crafting looks that are a blend between streetwear and chic.  

"My theme was Japanese streetwear, I took inspiration from that because it’s really up and coming," Truong said. "In Japan it’s a little bit different from American streetwear, they add a lot of layers and sometimes it’s really grunge, and sometimes it’s really cutesy."

Some designers played double duty by modeling their own designs down the runway.  

VIM fashion relations co-directors Deveau and apparel and textile design senior Zoe Jansen wore elegant formal gowns as they gave their opening remarks. Jansen’s colorfully embroidered dress was actually a design of her own. 

Jansen designed several ball gowns in the show, which ranged from a fluffy pastel tulle dress to an intricately beaded gown that resembled twinkling stars in the night sky.  

"The celestial project was based off women in my life who inspired me to design," Jansen said. "It was everyone in my life who either gave me the confidence to go into the fashion industry or who helped me get there."

Jansen also found inspiration in some of her favorite novels, designing dresses based on three of her favorite female literary characters. 

"I’m a really big reader, so each of the ball gowns was based off a different female character that I relate to," Jansen said. "They were each created for me and one of my sisters and who I thought fit that persona."

One unique look on the VIM runway was a beaded dress that Jansen spent hours perfecting for her independent study course. 

"I spent 104 hours hand-beading that dress last spring for my independent study," Jansen said. "I really wanted to see what I could do spending as much time and detail on one item."

As more looks graced the runway it became clear that each designer had a unique vision that every model executed in new ways. 

Digital storytelling senior Bailey Maloney had never walked in a fashion show before, but with it being her final year at MSU she knew this was the perfect opportunity.  

"I did this to get myself out of my comfort zone, quite literally everything about this is out of my comfort zone," Maloney said. "A strapless dress, my hair in a bun -- you can ask my friend, he’s never seen me in a slick back before."

Maloney spoke to the unique details of her dress that might not be obvious from far away. 

"It’s Cinderella-inspired there’s a lot of cool embellishments," Maloney said. "It might just look like a blue dress, but there's a shoe, there’s pumpkins, there’s stitching on the side."

Looking closer at her dress revealed small touches that the designer, apparel and textiles senior Hayden Starr, included. Maloney’s dress featured small, beaded pumpkins on a light blue bodice, a tiny glass slipper charm sewn onto the front and an embroidered shoe and clock to represent Cinderella's time running out. 

Each designer's unique vision was clear, with some models wearing corsets adorned with bows and frills, while others wore leather ensembles while rocking punk hairstyles. 

Apparel and textile design senior and designer Tony Cox created a 70s-inspired collection that spoke to his passion for cinematography. 

Nursing junior Rowland Badu has been modeling for two years and spoke to the unique prop choice his designer employed.  

"We drew inspiration from, or Tony rather, drew inspiration from the 70s," Badru said. "Film cameras were a big thing back then, so he brought a couple of his cameras and told us to pose with them on the runway."

Badru was one of several models who wore 70s-inspired looks that featured leather jackets, bright groovy colors and unique textures, all while sporting afros and slick-backed hair.  

The show concluded with a carousel of fashion as the models and designers gave their final walk, down the stage and out of the theater. The heads of the different creative teams took the stage and gave a final bow to close out the VIM spring 2025 fashion show.