The Her Universe Fashion Show 2023 returns to San Diego Comic-Con on July 20 at 6pm in the Harbor Ballroom, Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel.
Her Universe founder and Star Wars icon Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano) will once again host the event and is set to be joined by the star of Disney's Aladdin on Broadway, Michael James Scott. This year, the Fashion Show celebrates Disney100, and there will be heaps of surprises for those who attend the event.
Presented by Her Universe and Hot Topic, the night of inclusion and creativity is going to bring talented designers from around the country together for an original geek couture fashion competition, with the ultimate prize of designing a special fashion collection with Her Universe. The audience will help choose one of the winners, as well as an expert panel of judges.
The event is always a blast and you'll be able to keep an eye on what happens from home by following Her Universe on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and @officialheruniverse on TikTok.
Earlier this week, we spoke to Ashley about the Fashion Show's return to Comic-Con, and learned more about what fans can expect, how the event pays homage to The Nightmare Before Christmas, Marvel's influence on the show, and even get some hints about the biggest surprises the Ahsoka actress has in store for us.
And, if you'd like to hear what Ashley told us about her visit to the set of Ahsoka, a possible cameo role in that series, and her return in Disney+'s Tales of the Jedi, you can either watch the video to see what she revealed or click here to read her comments in full.
Check out our interview about this year's Her Universe Fashion Show below.
It was last year you returned to San Diego for the first time post-COVID, so it must be really exciting to carry that on into 2023?
Yes! It’s so exciting, especially because this year’s show is a personal dream come true. We’re celebrating Disney. The entire show is going to be Disney. If you know me, I’m just such a Disney fan through and through. It’s a part of me and part of the fabric of my life and truly who I am in my identity. The fact we get to work with Disney and get to celebrate 100 years of Disney is incredible. This is truly going to be our biggest and best show yet.
It sounds like Disney100 will be a big part of this year’s Her Universe fashion show, so can you start by talking about how that came to be and what it means for the event?
Well, obviously, we have a close working relationship with Disney. Her Universe would not be what it is today without the relationship with Disney and now we just have the absolute privilege of being a Disney co-brand and working with all of the properties within Disney from Pixar to Star Wars and Marvel to the Parks. It’s just really a treasured partnership and a natural extension to work together for the Her Universe Fashion Show. It’s something we’ve never done before. As you know, we’ve always celebrated everything that’s celebrated at Comic-Con as part of our show, but this was really a unique experience since Disney was celebrating 100 years, it gave us the unique opportunity to celebrate 100 years of Disney.
So much is under that umbrella. As I mentioned, not only is it all of Walt Disney Studios, which includes animation, but it’s Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, and even National Geographic! We also have Fox now. There’s so much that’s under the Disney umbrella. And Parks! Trust me, there’s going to be no shortage of inspiration for the show this year. Also, the show is not only going to be a love letter to Disney, but a love letter to the fans. So, we have a tonne of surprises for the audiences this year, but also a tonne of prizes. People are not going to want to miss the show. Not only is it free, but we have a lot of free swag and prizes this year, so trust me, no one is going to want to miss it; you’re going to want to come to the show this year!
As a big fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, I’m very intrigued by the fact the show’s lobby is being transformed into a 30th-anniversary celebration; can you tease a few details about what that’s going to entail?
Fans can start getting their wristbands for entry into the show earlier in the day, and obviously, there’s going to be a lot of time to hang out and get ready for our show in and around the lobby. We thought what a great opportunity it would be to create an experience before you get to see the show, so Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is going to take over the lobby and this is presented by Hot Topic. You’re going to have a winding experience through the film and it’s just really incredible. It will transport you through the movie and be a celebration of 30 years of this incredible film. From the second you step into the lobby to the second you step into the ballroom, we’re going to have so much to celebrate all night long. It’s going to be so much fun for the whole family. That’s also what I love about our show too; it’s something the whole family can enjoy and is fun for all ages. I just can’t wait. Get there early, get your wristband, because it’s going to be standing-room only and I can’t wait to share what we have in store.
With the ongoing WGA strike, a lot of big studios are sitting out Comic-Con this year, but that obviously gives shows like this one a greater chance to shine. Are you excited to perhaps have more eyes than ever on Her Universe in San Diego next month?
Oh, I mean, absolutely. I feel so excited and blessed that we get to continue our show, and the ninth annual show. Also, to have the opportunity to showcase the absolutely incredible talent of all these designers. At its foundation and core, what I always wanted for the Her Universe Fashion Show was to provide an actual runway to showcase this incredible talent of up-and-coming designers. Back when I went to San Diego Comic-Con, starting in 2007, from then until 2011 is when I started to get the idea for the Her Universe Fashion Show. I would see these fans create these one-of-a-kind couture designs and they were using the halls of San Diego Comic-Con to showcase them.
All I ever thought was, ‘You know, these designs are so incredible, they’re worthy of an actual runway like New York fashion week.’ The fact these designers now have such a big stage and such an important stage to showcase their work on has exceeded my expectations. The show has actually become life-changing for these designers. They have literally gotten careers from our show. They now use the Her Universe Fashion Show on their resume as something that matters and that actually gets them jobs. Certain designers have directly gotten jobs because of our show and it’s something I’m very, very proud of. I’m just very grateful that the legacy continues.
It’s fair to say your costumes are always one of the biggest talking points to come out of the fashion show, and I know you typically keep that under wraps, but is there anything you can tell us about what to expect?
Well, what I can say is that I always like to do something that’s one-of-a-kind and has never been done before. We’ve been able to achieve that a couple of times. Starting with my first-ever couture gown that was made by the incredible LEGO Master Nathan Sawaya. It was the first ever LEGO couture that could walk on a runway. Then we had the first-ever Funko Pop couture gown made out of 500 Funko Pop heads. The LEGO one was made out of over 10,000 LEGO bricks just to give the details on it! This year’s look will incorporate technology in a way that has not been done before for fashion. I’m very excited about it and it’s something Disney is known for. Disney uses technology in its storytelling in ways that have never been done before, so we’re taking a page off of that script and doing it with fashion. I’m very excited to showcase it.
I’m a big Marvel fan, and it sounds like that brand will be a big part of this year’s fashion show too - how much fun has that been for you to throw superheroes into the mix and see what people can do with those costumes?
There are several Marvel looks in our show this year. There are some me and my co-host are going to be showcasing, but a couple of the designers are inspired by Marvel too. Stay tuned. I think the biggest thing for someone who is new to our show to understand, this is not cosplay. This is character or story-inspired fashion, and these are one-of-a-kind looks inspired by our favourite Disney stories and characters. You’re definitely going to see a Marvel presence this year with looks that have never been done before and some transforming looks. There are some which incorporate technology and they’re all very different! Again, you’re not going to want to miss the show. Get there early, get your wristband, get a seat, and you won’t regret it. I can ensure everyone that, once again, the Her Universe Fashion Show will be talked about as one of the top events at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.
Will it be live-streamed for people at home or is the plan to drop footage from the show after it takes place?
We’ll be dropping video of the show after the fact, however, there will be a tonne of live content coming out of the Her Universe Fashion Show. Follow all of the Her Universe social channels and all of the Hot Topic social channels. Also Disney. There’s going to be an overload of content coming live out of the show. Fans are allowed to use their phones and cameras from the show, so there will be lots of live content coming from it. Then, stay tuned for videos we’ll be dropping throughout the weekend.
I know inclusivity, representation, and mental health awareness are all things that are important to you from our previous conversations, but what are you hoping people take away from this year’s fashion show?
You know, the thing that I love about our show is that anyone can participate. We’ve had designers that literally had no fashion design experience and taught themselves how to create couture-level fashion from YouTube. One of the designers I’m referencing taught herself how to sew and now just received her Masters Degree in fashion design. She’s incredibly successful but did it all on her own and is completely self-made. That’s been the story of several designers in our show. Anything is possible. Our show…just like Walt Disney, it starts with an idea and imagination. The impossible is truly possible. If you dream it, you can do it. That’s what I hope people walk away from our show this year with the idea that they can do anything. I hope they walk away inspired and I hope that they realise, ‘A dream is a wish your heart makes and the dreams wish can and do come true.’
Comic-Con is such a great venue for this show, but as you look to the future, would you like to take this thing international or anything along those lines?
Oh goodness, well, first of all, I actually just got back from the UK at 2am this morning! I had a chance to go back for another visit and a piece of my heart lives in London and the UK. I absolutely love it over there, so anything I can do to expand Her Universe internationally is something that would always be of interest to me and would be a dream come true. The Her Universe Fashion Show will always have its home at San Diego Comic-Con as that’s what was intended and that will always be the home of the show. However, in any way that I can continue Her Universe all around the world, we will always seek opportunities to do so.
We take it one opportunity at the time and I don’t have anything I can share other than we’re going to continue to try to make our Her Universe designs internationally however we can and if there’s a way we can do things like the Her Universe Fashion Show internationally, we will certainly explore those opportunities. There are fans all over the world and I know we have support all over the world, so stay tuned! Follow Her Universe and myself on social media and we’ll always keep fans up to date on all the latest and greatest information and news.