Ashley Eckstein on 10 Years of the Her Universe Fashion Show

[00:00:08] Hi Ashley, I am Jenna with Pt. of a Fan Girl. Hi Jenna! Hi, I'm so excited to talk to you for a second year in a row. This is amazing. Me too, me too. I'm so excited.

[00:00:21] I am so excited and I am even more excited about the Her Universe Fashion Show that's happening this month already. We're ready in July. I remember talking to you last year about The Fashion Show an entire year has flown by.

[00:00:36] And I mean, I can't believe that we're talking about year 10 of the Her Universe Fashion Show. It's truly surreal. It is and this is real at 10 years, a real milestone for Her Universe. When you started this and had your first ever fashion show, did you ever think you'd

[00:00:56] be here celebrating the 10th anniversary? Well I definitely hoped that the Her Universe Fashion Show would become a must see event at Comic Con. I dreamed that the Her Universe Fashion Show would be like the kickoff to San Diego Comic Con because we're on Thursday night.

[00:01:17] But I can assure you it has wildly exceeded my expectations. I never expected the show to become what it is today. It's truly taken on a life of its own. It's created a community of designers that is one of the things I'm most proud of.

[00:01:40] My biggest thing is community and I just wanted to provide an actual runway for designers to walk on, to showcase their designs on, to step into the spotlight and say, here's my talent. To have the beautiful community that's been created because of the show is something that's

[00:02:04] so special to me. So that's something that has wildly exceeded my expectations and the fact that the show has actually changed the lives of so many of our designers. Some designers have gotten jobs because of the show. They've changed careers because of the show.

[00:02:23] They've received so many opportunities because of the show and I'm very, very proud of that. It's amazing. I actually had the chance to talk to one of your previous winners this season of the podcast, Adria Renee. And she's phenomenal.

[00:02:37] It's just amazing to see it from the designer side as well and the artistry that goes into creating these pieces that are just so fun to look at. Oh yes. I'm so proud of Adria.

[00:02:52] She's one of the designers that came to us very, very early on in her journey. I remember, I believe she was working at the Gap and she taught herself to sew from YouTube. She was very early on.

[00:03:09] I think she had only been sewing for a couple of months. And I just loved her design. And so we gave her the chance. She literally almost won the show her first time.

[00:03:22] And so it goes to show that if you have a good idea and you have the passion, anyone can win our show. You don't have to be a designer with several years of experience. You really just need to have a true passion for it and a great idea.

[00:03:40] And I'm just so proud of Adria and how far she's come and that she went on to eventually win the show. And there's countless stories like Adria of designers that have gone on to do incredible things.

[00:03:55] But also they're just amazing, amazing kind people that are part of our community. And one of the things I'm also most proud of and so much credit goes back to the designers is that the community is very supportive.

[00:04:14] Oftentimes, especially with competition shows, it can become catty or negative or dramatic. And that's not the case with our show. What you see is designers supporting each other, helping each other, lifting each other up and then creating lifelong bonds and lifelong friendships.

[00:04:37] And that just warms my heart every single time I hear about it and I see the friendships that they've created. It's really more than just a single event. It's changing the lives of these people involved. And I really commend you and the entire her university for that.

[00:04:55] And speaking of this creativity that's being brought to the competition this year, I'm very excited because your theme is Mattel. And there is so much to work with with Mattel properties. So what can fans expect from this Mattel theme to year?

[00:05:13] So I am so excited that this year's show is presented by Mattel. Oftentimes you hear me talk about Star Wars and Disney because so much of my work is in a galaxy far, far away.

[00:05:26] But what I haven't had the chance to share much is my origin story truly with Mattel. Barbie has played an integral part in my childhood and my upbringing. When I was in kindergarten, so actually it'd be my sixth birthday, all I wanted was Barbie.

[00:05:46] I mean literally every single present I got was all Barbie. Barbie house, Barbie car, all the different Barbie dolls. Barbie only. I was Barbie obsessed. And still to this day, I collect Barbie dolls. I have the Princess Leia Barbie doll.

[00:06:04] I have all of the Alice in Wonderland Barbie dolls. I have some Wizard of Oz Barbie dolls. I still love collecting some of the designer dolls. So it's still a passion of mine but also Polly Pocket. Can we just have a moment for Polly Pocket? Oh my gosh.

[00:06:22] I still have my Polly Pockets from the early 90s. I still have them. Oh my gosh, like I was totally Polly Pocket girl in the 90s. It's very personal to me because one of the things that most people say when they meet me

[00:06:42] is they say, oh you're a lot shorter than I thought. And so early on my nickname became Polly Pocket because they're like, oh you're pocket sized. You're so short. You're like Polly Pocket. You can fit my pocket.

[00:07:00] I heard all the things but I didn't take it as a negative. I loved that they called me Polly Pocket because Polly had her own world. And I was always someone that kind of lived in my own world. And so I owned the nickname Polly Pocket.

[00:07:21] To be able to play with iconic brands like Barbie and Polly Pocket and Uno and just such fun iconic brands, we are having the best time planning this show. So I can't wait to share with everyone what we're working on.

[00:07:39] Really love the nostalgia of it all even with I didn't realize that Mattel had American Girl Doll too. So it's just like a 90s child's dream this year's fashion show. And it sounds like so much fun to be creating this and planning it step by step.

[00:07:57] Well, and they're the best partner this year because we're celebrating a milestone. You know, we're celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Her Universe fashion show. Mattel is also celebrating some pretty big milestones. It's the 65th anniversary of Barbie. It's the 35th anniversary of Polly Pocket.

[00:08:16] And you know, next year will be the 80th anniversary of Mattel. So, you know, we're excited to celebrate some big milestones all around. And they truly are the perfect, you know, partner for this year's show. Really, really is. And as to look back on these amazing 10 years,

[00:08:38] has this show taught you anything about fandom and yourself and your relationship to fandom? Well, that's a great question. You know, I think this show, I know I'm thinking of so many things. You know, the Her Universe fashion show has taught me so many things,

[00:08:54] especially as it relates to fandom. You know, it's taught me that if you have a passion for something, follow it because anything is possible. You know, I didn't share this in the beginning because I didn't want people to doubt me.

[00:09:13] But I had only ever been to one fashion show in my life when I started the Her Universe fashion show. And I was in one fashion show as a little kid. I don't know if you remember the store Limited 2.

[00:09:28] But, yes, they used to do fashion shows in the mall and they would pick little girls, you know, when you'd shop in the store, they'd be like, hey, you want to be in our fashion show?

[00:09:39] And, you know, you would show up and you would model and then you'd get to keep your outfit. So I had been in a Limited 2 fashion show and then I had seen one fashion show for LA Fashion Week. And that was it.

[00:09:52] And so I knew very, very, very little about putting on a fashion show. But I had a passion for it and I just so badly wanted to help these designers to give them an actual runway to showcase their design on and to shine the spotlight on their talent.

[00:10:13] And we didn't have a big team. You know, I didn't do it alone. I've always had a team of people that helped me do this. We were a small team. We were small but mighty.

[00:10:23] But it's just showed me that if you have a passion for something, that you can do anything. And, you know, the show has definitely taught me that because as I look back, I didn't know anything. You know, I was taking on such a monumental task that, you know,

[00:10:45] this show has become such a beast. And there's so many factors that go into creating the show. And I didn't see all of that. I just saw a need and an opportunity to make something great happen for, you know, the fans and the designers.

[00:11:02] And I wanted to do that. So yeah, take your passion and make it happen. That is fantastic advice. And along those lines, what is it? What is a message that you'd like to pass along to fans who are attending the fashion show this year?

[00:11:18] What do you want them to know? Okay. The biggest thing, you have to come to our show. It's so much fun. Even if you don't know much about fashion, you don't have to know anything about fashion. But I promise you, you're going to have the best time.

[00:11:35] So clear your schedule Thursday night. But show up early. You have to come to the Manchester Grand High. You have to show up early, get a wristband, and then go away. Enjoy the con for the day, and then come back. Our show starts at 6pm and it's free.

[00:11:52] It's free, you know? So it's fun for the whole family. All ages are welcome. You get to participate. The audience gets to help choose one of the winners. You know, the audience gets to walk the runway during the intermission. It's just a fun time for all.

[00:12:09] You might get to win a couple prizes. Everyone gets a free gift bag. I mean, what is there not to love about all of those things? So I promise you, it will be one thing you will not regret. But show up early and get a wristband

[00:12:24] because our show does reach capacity pretty early. So you're going to want to make time to get that wristband. Go enjoy your day and then come back later. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today, Ashley. I really appreciate it.

[00:12:37] Thank you so much, Jenna. And I can't wait to see you at San Diego Comic-Con. So excited.