International Fashion Society Interviews: Winter Fashion Show 2025

On Dec. 4th, I visited the International Fashion Society (IFS) club’s winter fashion show rehearsal in the Pepsi Forum to conduct interviews on their upcoming winter show, which took place on Dec. 6th, 2025. When I arrived, I was greeted by photographer Justine, who helped me coordinate this opportunity.

Upon stepping into the rehearsal space, I noticed a flurry of excitement and focus. The space was filled with so many fashionable, confident, and passionate JWU students. Despite the atmosphere being intense, the mix of passion and hard work was inspiring to see. I was able to pull a few club members away from the chaos to get some insight into the upcoming winter show. This club hosts seasonal fashion shows and fashion-related events around campus.

I had the pleasure of picking some of the model and E-board members' brains about how they were feeling about this show, the process, and what they were most excited to showcase. I asked people of various levels of experience in the club and outside of the club, as well as a few e-board members, what they were most excited about for the show. Most of the people I got to ask about the club expressed gratitude for having the opportunity to participate in something like this at JWU.

I asked Diella, a member of IFS since fall 2024, what she was most excited about for the upcoming show, and she stated, “[...] just to see everybody show their energy and show their shine. This is a great way to boost your confidence and just be you, and show yourself. Because everyone is able to style themselves, so you can kinda see who they are in what they wear. So, it’s really cool!” From what I heard from most club members and from what I observed while being at the rehearsal, it seems that this fashion show is not only a way to build community but also a way to express individuality.

I went on to try to gauge more details about the IFS club in general. I asked an EBoard member, Jayden, what the general message the club is trying to convey to the JWU community, and they responded, “everyone can join, and have the ability to be creative, and be open to express themselves.” This message was conveyed very clearly from what I observed; every look was very different from person to person, but the community aspect made it cohesive. People were not only focused and working hard during the rehearsal, but also laughing and joking and uplifting each other as well.

The theme for the 2025 Winter show was ‘Opposites Attract’. I wanted to gain more insight into what this meant, what we should expect from this theme, and what IFS members were most excited about for this show specifically. Ella, a member of IFS for 3 years and the club’s current Fashion Show Coordinator, stated, “I think the theme is really cool! This year, I feel like it’s very fashion-forward. Sometimes our themes can be a little bit more decorative [...], so I feel like this theme is a lot more fashion-forward. So I'm very excited about that!”

Additionally, I asked Ella if there was any particular look or feature of this show she was most excited to showcase. Ella revealed, “[IFS] has a ‘patterns’ walk for the whole club, and that one is really cool. It’s just like all of these funky patterns that everyone is wearing, so I think that is going to look really cool on the runway! It’s actually the one that I think we are starting the show off with.” This show seems to have a lot of elements that are slightly bolder and more experimental than in previous shows, which seems to have created a lot of excitement around this winter show in particular.

Diella also added, “I feel like I’m mostly interested in the color, because the color line is honestly giving cartoons. Just the way that the colors just pop, and especially if you’ve watched shows like Scooby Doo, and the way that the characters have colorful dresses, it’s honestly giving that. I’m excited to see how that turns out. I think it’ll be really cool!”

Needless to say, we expect a lot of creative, bold colors and patterns from this winter’s fashion show. I really liked the cartoon detail that Diella added. I could definitely see the bold, colorful, and creative accents while at the rehearsal, which came off as very playful and a bit nostalgic, reminiscent of older cartoon styles.

Being able to observe their rehearsal was such an eye-opening look into the amount of effort and practice that goes into an event like this. This made me curious about what kind of preparation goes into JWU fashion shows and what they thought of the process.

Myles, the treasurer of IFS, stated, “It’s a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun; it pays off in the end.” I could definitely see all of their hard work paying off, even in just the one rehearsal I was present for. Additionally, Aiden, IFS’s creative director, detailed, “From start to finish it’s a lot, a lot of practice and rehearsals, getting people confident and ready for the show. And the last few weeks, we buckle down, and it is a lot of work, it’s stressful, but in the end, it’s worth it because the show typically comes out great. So that is something to look forward to.”

During the rehearsal alone, it was obvious how much effort, practice, and dedication the club put into this fashion show, but at the same time, their hard work was paying off, and excitement was building for the upcoming show. AK, a member of IFS for a year and a half, summed up the experience by adding, “Love, yelling, understanding, compromise, and a lot of patience. Just everything all at once. But it works.”

I asked IFS creative director, Aiden, what inspired him to join IFS. He responded, “When I first heard about the club, I was inspired by my love for fashion and putting together outfits. But what keeps me going is the creative freedom of it, especially since this school isn’t as well-known for that. [...] I joined the E-Board to express myself with other people and do something cool because JWU isn’t super well known for that [design].”

Similarly, AK explained, “What I like most about this club is that it forces you to be creative, even if you don’t want to. Because you know everyone else is going to dress to impress, so you have to bring your A game.” This club seems to do an excellent job at providing JWU students a space to explore fashion creatively, challenge themselves, build confidence, build connections, and have a place to express themselves both visually and socially.

As Myles, IFS Treasurer, explained, “I like that [this club is] a very accepting space and that you can wear styles that you might not normally feel comfortable just wearing around campus. But coming here, it’s like ‘oh, this is where I feel safer experimenting with fashion!’ It’s also just a really fun place to hang out with friends.”

Although this club seems to be rewarding in many ways, the amount of effort that goes into it should not be discredited. Ella, former model and current E-Board member and IFS fashion show coordinator, when asked what she would tell prospective members of IFS stated; “I would say it's definitely a big commitment, it’s a weekly club, it's like once to twice a week, and then when it gets closer to the show, like today, we have 4 practices that are kind of like an all day thing, it’s definitely going to take up time.”

However she did add, “but, it’s very very fun and I’ve met some of my friends freshman year when I joined this club and I’ve had them all the way until now, my junior year. So, you spend all of this time with people, so you can make a lot of close friends.” If you are thinking of joining this club and aren’t afraid of hard work and time commitments, expect deep connections and lots of fun along the way.

A story that really stood out to me in these interviews was from Aiden, who shared his journey with IFS over the last four years. When asked what his favorite part of being in IFS was, he went on to say; “[...] when I first came to JWU and joined this club, I thought it’d be more about making clothing because I enjoy making clothes. I came out of highschool being super insecure and introverted person, and I learned it was model walking and I was like ‘no way, I'm not doing this’, I gave it a shot and kept showing up, and I grew a sense of community with the club and goes to show I’ve kept with it and grown me as a person tremendously throughout my four years of college. So, without a doubt, I don’t regret joining this club at all.”

This story was so inspiring to hear how beneficial joining a club like IFS can be, even if it is out of your comfort zone. College is the time to get out of your comfort zone and explore new interests and skills. I think that IFS is definitely a place for people of all experience levels to explore their confidence and expression through community and creativity.

To close off each interview, I asked IFS members what three words they would use to describe the looks and vibe of the 2025 Winter Fashion Show. Here are some of the responses I received:

“For the first line, I’d say Camp. For the middle, I’d say magnetic. And for the last line I’d just say weird, honestly!” - AK, member of IFS for 1.5 years

“Crazy, energetic, a little chaotic” - Aiden E-Board, creative director

“Funky, colorful, and unique” - Ella, 3 years, E-Board, fashion show coordinator