On April 24th, 2026, Montclair State University’s Spring Annual Fashion Show, “A Moment In Time”, encapsulated the work of diverse student designers and their creations. The show, hosted in the Memorial Auditorium by the Department of Art and Design, was co-directed by Sydney McGann and produced by Professor Seth Howard.
The show included over 70 designer pieces that had to fall under the theme of “A Moment In Time.” A camera crew documented the models showing off the designers’ work, including a voting-based award ceremony at the end of the show.
Sydney McGann, a student at Montclair State was the co-director on the PR and marketing theme for the fashion show.
“I think our inspiration was trying to find a theme that fit all of the designers,” McGann said. “Everyone’s making their own unique thing — this is their moment in time.”
The designs were a diverse set of outfits that included, laces, ribbons, and beaded designs with flowy, tight, short, long and other included patterns that made each design its own category.
The stage was showcased with a hand-painted golden archway that was sculpted by students of Montclair. The arch had the hands of a clock and roman numerals to represent the time the models walked through. With a background of time-warped clocks, it transcended the audience members to a glamorous wonderland.
The Fashion show featured three guest judges: James Volpe, Principal, White Sneaker Consulting, Jenni Lee, fashion stylist and brand consultant, and Utkarsh Gupta, product developer and assistant designer for Golden Touch.
Awards were given based on hard work throughout the year, uniqueness to designs and an outstanding first year performance.
A student-made documentary played during the show’s intermission, documenting the process of the designs, from hand-drawn designs to the finished products, bringing the designers’ works to life on mannequins or models.
The models that showcased the outfits were Montclair students that designed, requested or volunteered to model the pieces. Each model gave life to the clothes by inserting personality and originality when walking on the stage, created life in the theatre.
Samantha Tucholski, a fashion merchandising major and the head of “A Moment In Time’s” PR marketing team, mentioned the marketing inspiration that came with the fashion show.
“We were pulling inspiration from ‘Coraline’ and ‘Alice In Wonderland,’ kind of playing with this idea of time distortion and time warp, but also giving these students their moment in time.”
The theme, which gave student designers a blank canvas to create artwork, was a reflection of the students who plan to enter the fashion industry. Each designer showcased their own sense of style and originality. Students are in a time in their lives where their artwork must be displayed for a crowd to admire.
The show embodied what hard work, love and passion can create in articles of clothing. Clothing that can tell stories of what inspired the designers to have a creative vision for their designs.
Students, faculty, and supporting members were able to enjoy an evening full of creativity and an inside look at what the future of fashion holds for the next generation.
“I want the audience to realize that these aren’t just a student production,” McGann said. “These people have been working on garments and these clothes for months. They’re just big labors of love, and they spent a lot of time and a lot of effort making them.”
“I want them to feel like, ‘wow, I just witnessed something,'” Tucholski said. “‘I witnessed the new generation of designers. I witnessed these students pull off a beautiful show.’ I want them to feel like they were a part of our moment in time.”
