Fashion Design at The Dalí

Accepted students will be notified via email by September 2. Accepted students must confirm their spot in the program by replying to that email by end-of-day September 5. Students who have not confirmed their spot by September 8 will be removed from the program.

References from a teacher, mentor, coach or other trusted adult are required with your application. A reference is like a recommendation for you to join the program; they help advocate for your level of responsibility and dedication for a rigorous program like this one.

To get a reference, ask an adult who has worked closely with you in the past to provide their email address and phone number. They should then email a letter of recommendation to sayad@thedali.org. Students whose references have sent a letter of recommendation will be given priority acceptance to the program. Parents are unable to serve as a reference unless a student is homeschooled. Trish Donnelly and Sumaya Ayad are also unable to serve as references for the program.

Accepted students will receive a schedule with an outline containing weekly focus topics and due dates. Some session topics include Draping and Patterns 101 and Runway Coaching. Most sessions are held from 10am-1pm on Sunday in the PCCA Costume Workshop with some taking place offsite at the Dalí Museum, Neiman Marcus and other stores and design centers.

Some sessions will include guest speakers from various areas and industries or begin with a formal class and end of worktime. Others have no class and are solely an open studio day. Each session varies and students should be prepared for a variety of structures.

The day of the fashion show is jam-packed. Students have the option to add finishing touches to their designs on the morning of the fashion show. All students must be present by 1pm for a 6pm show time. In the 5 hours between mandatory arrival and start of show, students have runway and dress rehearsals, do their hair and makeup and go through an interview process with the judges.

Yes—student designers are required to attend each session of the program. A total of 3 absences will be allowed before a student is removed from the program. Tardiness of 10 minutes or more (for arrival or departure) will result in half an absence. A total of 6 tardies will result in the removal of a student from the program. Students are expected to be at the door at 10am and are expected to leave campus at 1pm.

Judges from various industries and skillsets volunteer to adjudicate the designs created in each year’s iteration of Fashion Design at The Dalí. Prior to the fashion show, judges visit regular sessions to observe and speak with student designers. Judges are also briefed by the Program Manager on the progress of each student. They read student artist statements, view their rendering and learn about each student’s inspiration pieces to fully inform their judging process.

At the fashion show, judges conduct interviews with the students and make the final determination for awards in the following categories: Best Rendering, Best Artist Statement, Best Interpretation of Dalí Artwork, Most Wearable, Most Cohesive Presentation, Best Connection to Theme, Most Original in Design, Best Construction of Design, Most Sustainable Use of Materials and Best Overall Design. Check out the Online Exhibitions linked above to see previous student designs.