A Fashion Rebirth: Atlanta's 2025 Graduate Designers Step Into the Spotlight

On the evening of May 30, the Rendezvous Event Center in Jonesboro, Georgia, transformed into a runway of rebellion, resilience, and raw creativity. The 2025 Graduate Fashion Show—an independently produced showcase—brought together 19 emerging designers for an unforgettable display of craft and concept. All of the designers graduated the next day from SCAD. SCAD is a nationally acclaimed art and design school in Midtown Atlanta, the show itself was not affiliated with the school but it definitely highlighted what they learned. Produced by Haus of Deeran, the show was led by Navy veteran and designer Deeran Anderson, whose closing collection brought the evening to a cinematic finish. The event was less a traditional fashion show and more a cultural moment—a declaration of where the future of fashion is headed and who gets to define it. With confirmed press, a full house of VIPs, and a runway that defied binaries, it was clear from the outset: this wasn’t just a student showcase, it was a movement.

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The collections were as diverse as the designers themselves—exploring queerness, spirituality, diasporic heritage, and emotional healing. Rather than trend-chasing, each look was rooted in a personal story or sociopolitical message. The garments spoke of grief and triumph, faith and fantasy, fear and freedom. It was an evening where identity wasn’t just represented—it was exalted. Among the most talked-about collections was “The Enkavma Collection” by Haus of Deeran. Inspired by a fictional queer utopia, the resortwear capsule fused masculine structure with feminine softness. Rich with symbolism and fantasy, the collection was designed for A.M.A.B. bodies seeking gender-expansive fashion that doesn’t compromise beauty or boldness.

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Maddison Pinson’s Made Rich offered a spiritual deep-dive through futurist silhouettes and a narrative of redemption. Rebecca Zaizay’s ZAIZAY turned the trauma of Liberia’s 14-year civil war into garments that balanced sorrow and strength. Jaion Henderson’s Whispers of Wraith was a love letter to horror cinema, threading dread and desire through dramatic, femme-fatale silhouettes.

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The tone shifted to gothic elegance with Ava Polvino’s Midnight Mass, which merged religious iconography with high fashion. Meanwhile, Jessica Boyack’s Shipwrecked used yarn waste and sustainable materials to envision the rebirth of shipwrecks into coral reefs—a hauntingly beautiful take on environmental storytelling. Naya Allen Oberlton’s Naya Jenae collection examined the decaying beauty of roses, using reclaimed lace to turn decay into delicate power.

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Themes of memory, cultural identity, and reclamation ran deep. Zohar Sochaczevski’s Sent from Camp used found materials to recall 1970s summer camp nostalgia. Parker Asel Peugh’s Originsexplored his Kazakh roots with textures inspired by Lake Kaindy and the Saiga Antelope. Elizabeth Lawson’s The Growth Endured blended African silhouettes and 3D construction to visualize spiritual evolution.

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The show was filled with moments of awe: hand-built accessories, sweeping silhouettes, and fearless fabric play—from upcycled shower curtains to Swarovski crystals. Thankfully Swarovski was able to sponsor a few designers through in kind donations to set the pieces off. But beyond the visual spectacle, the show’s biggest achievement was its authenticity. In a landscape often driven by market trends and institutional norms, these designers delivered something rare: unfiltered, intentional art.

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Equally impressive was the production itself. Everything—from lighting and staging to the digital keepsake and media outreach—was executed by the designers. No corporate sponsors. No school branding. Just a collective of creatives betting on themselves. And winning. The night’s success proved what’s possible when artists are trusted to lead their own vision from sketchbook to spotlight.

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As the final model exited the runway, it was clear that this wasn’t just a graduation—it was a coronation. The designers behind the 2025 Graduate Fashion Show aren’t waiting for industry approval. They’ve already claimed their place in it. Atlanta has long been a city of innovators, but this show cemented it as a rising capital of fashion-forward, identity-rooted design. The future has arrived. And it’s not asking for permission.

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