FADS x PhiDE: When Fashion Goes Beneath the Surface
- Lily Dougherty
- Oct 30
- 4 min read
By Lily Dougherty, Staff Writer Edited by Grace Stecher
At Syracuse University, the runway gets anatomical. For one night only, Phi Delta Epsilon and the Fashion and Design Society (FADS) joined forces for Syracuse’s first-ever anatomy fashion show: a collaboration where couture met cardiology. Eleven designers reimagined the body’s systems—muscular, skeletal, nervous, and more, turning human anatomy into wearable art. Each look became a beautiful blend of science and self-expression, proving that fashion can educate as much as it can fascinate. Held October 25 in Schine Underground, the event raised over $2,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network, showing that when design goes deeper than the surface, it can touch the heart—literally and figuratively.
For Charlotte Chu, a junior fashion design major and co-head of styling for FADS, the show was both a creative challenge and a good cause to support. “I became involved in [FADS] my freshman year,” she explained. “Fashion Design Society sounded really fun, and I designed a couple of looks that spring. That was my entry point into FADS.”
This semester, she had two looks in the show: one inspired by the cardiovascular system, another by the lymphatic system. “The cardiovascular look had strings that represented veins,” Chu said. “The lymphatic one was all green and covered in moss. It was originally based on nature, but it actually fit the lymphatic system perfectly; kind of textured and connective.”
Chu said that FADS members pulled past looks from previous shows that could align with anatomy. “A lot of us didn’t have time to design something entirely new, so we reworked older pieces that fit. But it was so cool to see how everything came together to represent the body systems,” she said.
Beyond aesthetics, the partnership between FADS and Phi Delta Epsilon merged two seemingly different worlds—fashion and medicine—into a single mission. “All of us were talking about how much we learned about different body systems,” Chu said. “It was really fun, and I’m glad it went to a good cause. We definitely want to continue this collaboration.”
Sophomore Charli Fomin said walking in the show felt like a full-circle moment. “I found FADS my freshman year and thought runway would be really cool,” she said. “I always wanted to try modeling… I watch runway shows in my room all the time.”
Her assigned look represented the respiratory system, though it hadn’t originally been designed that way. “It was from a past show about myths,” Fomin said. “But it was all white lace, and the lace looked like bronchi in the lungs. People came up to me saying I looked like a non-smoker’s lung—so white, so pristine.”
Despite the hectic pace of a runway show, she found community amongst the chaos. “We only practiced once,” she recalled, laughing. “Everyone was confused the whole time, but it came together really well. My favorite part was sitting backstage for twenty minutes before the show, just eating sandwiches and bonding. It was really fun.”
That spirit of improvisation and connection carried throughout the night. The show’s soundtrack pulsed with energy as models embodied systems that sustain life. Under the colored lights, lungs shimmered in lace and veins glowed in thread.
Ava Vavra, a sophomore who walked the runway, joined after a friend sent the sign-up form. “I love putting myself out there in fun, different scenarios,” she said. “I’m pre-med, so doing something for the medical frat felt really meaningful.”
Her look required anatomical precision. “The designers were so good at making sure everything was anatomically correct,” she said. “Even after I tried it on, they made alterations so it matched the structure better. I felt like a walking statue.”
But that accuracy came with challenges. “The paint on my first design made it so stiff that the zipper broke in the back while I was walking,” she said, laughing. “It kind of added to the armor vibe.”
For Vavra, the experience represented more than artistry—it was about using fashion as a form of advocacy. “Fashion is something people can grasp. It’s exciting, it’s fun, it’s flashy,” she said. “Philanthropy isn’t always like that. So combining them gets the word out to a bigger audience, and I love that.”
Backstage, she found an atmosphere of encouragement. “It was weird being a model who wasn’t actually a model,” she admitted. “There were people who model all the time, but they were so supportive. Shoutout to the guy who played the sperm in the reproductive system—he’s probably my bestie forever.”
The anatomy fashion show redefined what it means for fashion to have purpose. In a space often associated with glamour or exclusivity, FADS and Phi Delta Epsilon created a show that was collaborative, educational, and deeply human. This runway served as a space for the ways creativity and compassion intertwine.
The designers proved that anatomy can be beautiful and that beauty can be generous. Each garment represented a body system, but together they symbolized the collective heartbeat of students who care enough to turn art into impact.
“Just the fact that it supports a good cause makes it special,” Chu said. “It brings people together.”
Under the lights of Schine Underground, muscles turned to fabric, veins to thread, and inspiration to impact. The body became a canvas, fashion a language, and the runway a reminder that sometimes the best designs are the ones that live beneath the surface.
© 2025 by FETCH COLLECTIVE
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