Ole Miss Fashion Week 2026 celebrated student-led initiatives promoting fashion, inclusivity and creativity on April 20-24. The event featured student organizations UM Square Magazine and UM Fashion Panel.
Square Magazine kicked off fashion week with a cover reveal on Monday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m. at Harrison’s Yard.
This was the magazine’s sixth print issue, titled “Transcendence: The Beauty of Destruction.” The magazine flipbook can be found on the School of Journalism and New Media Issuu, a website for flipbooks.
Square Magazine members spoke about the publication, handed out physical copies to supporters and displayed letters from their editors.
UM Fashion Panel followed with a fashion show on Wednesday, April 20, at 6 p.m. at the University of Mississippi Museum. The fashion show, “Art in Motion,” emphasized the connection between artwork and fashion.
Fashion panel models drew inspiration from artwork inside the University of Mississippi Museum to carefully curate their outfits. Their clothes utilized the colors, textures and emotions of the art pieces to inspire arrangements.
Amelia Sweeney, co-founder and president of UM Fashion Panel, is a junior integrated marketing communications major from Franklin, Tenn. She said Ole Miss Fashion Week is a way to highlight those on campus who are passionate about fashion.
“Because we do not have a fashion major, it is something that gets overlooked on campus,” Sweeney said. “We want to make it known that fashion really is something that many students have a shared interest in and would love to make a career out of someday.”
Laura Johnson, treasurer of UM Fashion Panel, is a junior accountancy major from Franklin, Tenn. She discussed how participating in the UM Fashion Panel gives her a creative outlet.
“I’m an (accountancy) major, so I just feel like I don’t have the opportunity to be creative and go outside of my comfort zone and really like contribute to something outside of just my day-to-day classes,” Johnson said in an interview with NewsWatch. “When the opportunity came up, I just knew I wanted to be involved in fashion panel.”
Both supporters and various student models showcased their outfits at the event.
Fashion week continued with IMC Fashion Hour on Thursday, April 23, at 4:00 p.m. at The Mill at Plein Air, the first official networking event of the week. The event was designed for integrated marketing communications students with a specialization in fashion promotion but was open to all. Pop-up shops were featured throughout the building, which sold clothing, jewelry and athletic wear.
Ashton Brooks Logan, assistant director for housing administration at UM and instructor of IMC 314: Fashion Promotion and Media, introduced a variety of guest speakers who work in the fashion industry. Two of these guest speakers were Bradford and Elson Stewart, sisters who run the size-inclusive brand Poema Clothiers. Elson Stewart spoke specifically about reaching out to companies when the opportunity shows itself.
“If there’s a company that you want to work for, if there’s somebody that you’re interested in interning for, reach out to them through every single channel possible,” Elson Stewart said. “LinkedIn, email — make sure you are following them on Instagram, (and direct message) them.”
Nick Weaver, co-founder of denim brand Blue Delta Jean Co., encouraged those seeking jobs to think outside of the box. Blue Delta Jean Co. was founded in 2012, and all of its products are made in Tupelo, Miss.
“If you do something regular, then you (will) probably get a regular response,” Weaver said.
Anne-Marie Varnell Gordon, founder of Cicada, a women’s fashion store on the Square in Oxford, gave insight into what employers are looking for when looking through applications.
“I want to see your work; I don’t have time to [search] through everything,” Gordon said. “We’re going to sit down, we’re going to talk. But I want to hire you for this, I want to see this. Make sure that you have a strong portfolio and resume. Don’t fluff it too much.”
While UM Fashion Week was meant to conclude with the Black Fashion Society Spring Showcase on Sunday, April 26, this event was cancelled. President of Black Fashion Society Se’Marje McGregory said that the organization was worried the showcase would not have lived up to the society’s standards.
McGregory is a junior integrated marketing communications major from Clarksdale, Miss.
“(Black Fashion Society) is committed to creating experiences that not only inspire, but truly stay with our audience long after the curtain closes,” McGregory said in a statement to The Daily Mississippian. “After thoughtful consideration, we realized we wouldn’t be able to meet that standard in the way we believe our supporters deserve this time around. With that in mind, we made the difficult decision to sit this one out.”
