The weeklong series of events, from April 19-25, marked NC State’s first fashion week in over a decade. 

Christine Kloche, director of communications and marketing for the College of Design, said it demarcates a union between the Wilson College of Textiles and her own college, who have many aligned interests in promoting the arts and furthering innovation in design.

“I am excited to solidify the bond between these two colleges. So much of our work is intertwined, and we each bring unique facets to the process,” Kloche said. “Continuing to highlight the work that these colleges do and bring it to a larger, campus-wide audience furthers our missions and helps expand an ever-growing network of industry connections.”

“As this becomes a larger, more well-known thing, it’s going to attract more industry eyes on students’ work,” says Assistant Teaching Professor and Studio Manager Emily Law. “It’s fun for them because it just creates more excitement around everything that’s going on.” 

Keep scrolling to relive the week chronologically, or use the list below to jump to coverage of a specific event. 

• Emerging Designers Textile Showcase
• AATS Fashion Exposé
• Alumna talk: Kiana Bonollo
• Artist talk: Kate Nartker
• TEXcycle
• Clothing Swap
• Century of Designers
• Art2Wear
• Emerging Designers Runway Show

April 19, 2026

Emerging Designers Textile Showcase

Damien Reed

Textile design students presented collections of woven designs, ready for market products and printed fabrics for their capstone exhibition, the Emerging Designers Textile Showcase. Seniors in the textile design concentration of the fashion and textile design major spent the spring semester working on their projects, which allow them full creative freedom over theme and content. 

Students are given their own booths to showcase their work. Utilizing techniques and technology that included digital printing, Jacquard weaving, crocheting, handknitting, tufting, dobby weaving, painting and drawing, the display themes ranged from homey dinner settings with intricate napkin folding to a campground with a handmade tent. Many students upholstered their own furniture with the fabrics they designed during their capstone course. 

“This is their opportunity to really think more broadly about their passions, their design voice and their skill set and really pick a direction that allows them to show off their skills,” says Traci Lamar, professor and faculty lead of the course. “They are challenged to think critically about what makes the design work with a particular technique or technology.” 

The showcase was opened on Sunday night, where hors d’oeuvres were served accompanied by a live jazz band and the student designers were able to talk to onlookers about their collections. The exhibition was open the following three days and on its closing night, the designers were once again given the chance to present their work — this time to industry representatives.

April 20, 2026

AATS Fashion Exposé

Damien Reed

Sixteen student designers sent collections down the runway during the 28th annual African American Textile Society Fashion Exposé, NC State’s longest running fashion show. Students from NC State and surrounding universities are invited to show their work, regardless of major or year. 

This year, show organizers challenged the designers to theme their collections around culture and heritage, resulting in pieces with deeply personal inspirations drawn on traditions ranging from Hungary to Cuba to Ireland. 

Yanni Robinson, president of the NC State chapter of the African American Textile Society (AATS), says it is an opportunity for students to grow creatively and professionally, giving them the full fashion show experience in the Talley Student Union ballroom, while also helping them prepare for even bigger opportunities. 

“It’s about giving students that outlet if they’re ready to have their first collection,” Robinson says. “Us putting this on, especially as a student organization, shows how much power that students have and what we can do.” 

This year’s judges were Garry Atkinson, a technical manager at the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists; Kedena Henriques-Thompson, a postdoctoral researcher at the Wilson College of Textiles; and Marcia Spencer, an independent designer and entrepreneur. They evaluated each collection on adherence to the theme, creativity, technical construction, cohesiveness and overall presentation. 

Fashion development and product management student Fred Pierce Jr. won the intermediate category with his collection, “Imperium.”  He says he modeled it after streetwear styles that were popular in some Black communities in the 80s and 90s, featuring wide-legged pants, color blocking and boxy silhouettes.

Assistant Teaching Professor Jessica Singleton gave him the encouragement he needed to apply to the show and design his first collection. After months of hard work, he says it felt surreal to be recognized among so many other ambitious projects. 

“It was just really cool to be able to present my collection amongst other designers who were doing such cool stuff. It just made me feel worthy, being next to them,” Pierce says. 

April 21, 2026

Kiana Bonollo: How I Built a Fashion Career Using Social Media

Sarah Stone

Speaking in front of dozens of NC State students, staff and faculty put entrepreneur Kiana Bonollo out of her element. 

“I’m really used to talking in front of a camera and saying something that will go out to 2.5 million people, but talking face to face in front of people is a bit scarier,” she admitted. 

The Wilson College alumna (FTD-FD ’21) has built a career for herself melding her two passions: fashion design and social media. As a content creator, she’s racked up over one million subscribers on YouTube and over 33 million likes on TikTok. On Etsy, she’s sold over 90,000 of her sewing patterns. 

During Fashion Week, she returned to her alma mater to share her career journey and give advice to aspiring content creators and small business owners. Afterwards, the audience was invited to explore some of her most famous designs in person, including the dresses she made and wore to the Netflix premiere of Bridgerton and the Grammys. 

Bonollo encouraged students to not wait until they feel like they’ve perfected their design or content creation skills to start posting their work. 

“If I never evolved and learned more sewing techniques, I would have stayed at this level,” she said, pointing to the difference between some of her earliest and most recently shared designs. “And people like to watch your journey. They want to see you improve.” 

She also shared how she pays attention to social media trends and algorithm changes, her approach to monetizing content creation and the pros and cons of being your own boss. Above all, she says, the value of her Wilson College education was in the chance to gain hands-on experience.

“The fact that you have Fashion Week and shows like AATS that anyone can participate in is amazing. Make sure you’re taking advantage of those opportunities.” 

Fashion Week Screening and Artist Talk: Whose Woods Are These

Sarah Stone

Fashion Week also spotlighted techniques on the cutting edge of fiber art. Wilson College Associate Professor Kate Nartker showed her woven animated film, “Whose Woods Are These,” at the Teaching and Visualization Lab in Hunt Library. 

“Whose Woods Are These” uses the disappearance of Nartker’s great-great-great-great-grandmother in Ohio as a point of departure to examine topics in nature, independence and motherhood. The short has been featured in the London Short Film Festival and Slamdance Film Festival, among others. 

After the screening, Nartker uncovered the techniques behind her work, which melds jacquard weaving and handweaving with cinematic perspectives and video editing. It’s a practice she’s honed from over 15 years of experience in animation and studio weaving. 

“I think this connection between textiles and sequence has always felt film-like to me,” she said. “I really like to think about how the two mediums construct meaning and tell stories through repetition and sequence.” 

April 22, 2026 // Earth Day

TEXcycle: Textiles Recycling Earth Day Event

Sarah Stone

Sustainability is not only one of Wilson College’s three priorities but it’s also one of its core values, so was a happy surprise that Fashion Week coincided with Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22. Two separate events provided the community with better ways to recycle clothing and other textile items. 

The Wilson College Sustainability Committee and Culture and Well-Being Committee teamed up to create a drive-thru textile dropoff. Using the Textiles Carriageway in front of the Graduate School, volunteers collected bags upon bags of items. Ultimately, the amount left with the committees overfilled the two dumpster-sized textile recycling receptacles. These 700 pounds of donations were diverted from the landfill and sent to a center where they can be broken down into the proper components and given new life as a recycled textile.

Greater Good Textile Group Clothing Swap

Damien Reed and Sarah Stone

Later in the afternoon, the Greater Good Textile Group hosted its semesterly clothing swap, where clothes otherwise destined for the landfill found new homes on campus. 

First, students dropped off any clothes, shoes or jewelry they no longer planned to wear. Next, the Wilson College breezeway was turned into a thrift shop. 

Those who donated items could pick up an equal amount of items for free, or purchase additional items for $1/piece. The event is a tradition for Greater Good Textile Group, which promotes sustainability in the industry and is one of the largest student organizations in the college.

Claire Alexander, a senior studying environmental science, is the event coordinator for the group and says the clothing swap reminds folks of the importance of circular fashion. 

“It’s just a great opportunity to look through your own closet to see what can go towards other people,” Alexander says. “There’s such a big issue of throwing away clothes after a single use, so we’re giving them a longer lifespan. By donating, you’re helping the planet and you can also make someone’s day.”

April 23, 2026

Century of Designers: From Worth to the World

Nikki Fiske and Damien Reed

On Thursday of Fashion Week, a showcase exhibiting work from all of the sophomore students in the fashion design concentration of the fashion and textile design program was held in the Textiles Complex, open to the public and Wilson community to appreciate and enjoy.

The exhibit, “From Worth to the World,” featured each student’s own capsule collection, each of which were inspired by different iconic designers from the last century. They were tasked with merging their own design voice with that of the existing designer’s body of work.

Fashion design student Melyn Hales showed her collection at the event, heavily incorporating the precise tailoring and bling of Donatella Versace. She started the process at the beginning of the semester, diving headfirst into brand new skills like pattern making and garment construction. 

“The prototype process did take me a while because I had never done a lot of these things before,” Hales says. “This collection has taught me to really go for it, that it’s also okay to ask help from my professor and to be patient throughout the process.” 

April 23-24, 2026

Art2Wear 2026: Symbiosis

Damien Reed

Art2Wear is not just a showcase of student designed fashion — It’s a performance event that aims to produce boundary-pushing wearable art rather than ready-to-wear collections. 

This year, the three Art2Wear shows took place in the Gregg Museum of Art & Design, a combination between traditional runway walks and gallery displays. While the event is housed in the College of Design, the creative and wearable aspects draw students from the Wilson College of Textiles, both as designers or critical organizers behind the scenes. Both directors for this year’s event were Wilson College students. 

“We really want designers to have an opportunity to push the boundaries of things,” Co-Director Brooke Parrinello says. “It’s not so much based on how well you can sew a seam. It’s more about how can you convey a story through unique shapes, silhouettes and materials.”

The show is entirely coordinated by students, including all production, marketing and fundraising efforts. This year’s co-directors focused on bridging gaps between the design and textiles colleges, encouraging students to push their creativity and make a truly unique show.

“We’re providing all these students with the same resources and same opportunities,” Co-Director Arynn Baginski says. “Fashion Week feels like a culmination of that, where it’s all of these separate things happening and we’re asking how we can bring them together.”

April 25, 2026

Emerging Designers Runway Show

Damien Reed

Seniors in the fashion design concentration of the fashion and textile design major get the opportunity to accumulate their four years of skills and studies in the Emerging Designers Runway Show. After a semester of designing, prototyping and constructing, their collections were presented at the closing event for Fashion Week 2026.

“It’s a special time that everyone gets excited for because there’s no theme. You’re able to pick whatever you want to showcase,” Volz says. 

The collections ranged from celebrations of craftsmanship and folk art to avant-garde lines inspired by lampshades and playing cards. Students used techniques they learned in classes, such as hand beading, tailoring and fabric distressing, as well as a variety of technologies, such as CLO 3D CAD, Gerber and Lectra, to create the looks.

With rigorous schedules and self-imposed deadlines, students were given a taste of what it takes to carry out ambitious projects in the real world — culminating with how it feels to see them on stage. 

On Saturday of Fashion Week, friends, family and community members gathered at Talley Student Union to watch the final collections head down the runway. The event was not only a celebration for the designers but also an opportunity for students from across campus to participate as models, hair and make-up artists, volunteers, runway coaches and photographers — fulfilling the goal of Fashion Week: creating community campus-wide.

“I really liked the collaborative feel, it felt like a community coming together.” – Arynn Baginski (FTD-FD, ’26)

Photo Credit for Emerging Designers Textile Showcase and Emerging Designers Runway Show: Amanda Law Photography