Celebrating Her Universal Fashion Show Founder Ashley Eckstein Returns at SDCC and Disney100 (Exclusive)

Last year was their first post-Covid return to San Diego, so should it be exciting to continue this in 2023?

Yes! This year’s show is especially exciting as it is a personal dream come true. Celebrating Disney. The entire event will be Disney. If you know me, I am such a Disney fan through and through. It is part of me and part of the fabric of my life and really who I am because of who I am. The fact that we were able to work with Disney and celebrate 100 years of Disney is amazing. This will truly be our biggest and best show yet.

Disney100 seems to be a big part of this year’s Her Universe fashion show, so can you start by talking about how that came to be and what it means for the event?

Well, obviously, we have a close working relationship with Disney. Her Universe would not be what it is today without the connection to Disney and we now have the absolute privilege of being a Disney co-brand and working with all the properties within Disney from Pixar to Star Wars and Marvel to Parks. It’s a truly precious partnership and a natural extension to work with for Her Universe Fashion Show. It’s something we’ve never done before. As you know, we celebrate all things Comic-Con as part of our show, but this was truly a unique experience since Disney was celebrating 100 years, giving us a unique opportunity to celebrate 100 years of Disney.

There is a lot under that umbrella. As I mentioned, not just all of Walt Disney Studios, including animation, but Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, and even National Geographic! We also have Fox now. There is a lot that falls under the Disney umbrella. And parks! Trust me, there will be no shortage of inspiration for the show this year. In addition, the show will not only be a love letter to Disney, but also a love letter to the fans. So, we have a lot of surprises for the audience this year, but also a lot of prizes. People don’t want to miss the show. Not only is it free, but we have a lot of free swag and prizes this year, so trust me, no one wants to miss out; You’ll want to come to the show this year!

As a big fan The Nightmare Before Christmas, I was surprised that the lobby of the event was being transformed into a 30th-anniversary celebration. Can you tease a few details about what it will bring?

Fans can start getting their wristbands to get into the show on the day, and obviously there will be plenty of time to set up and get ready for our show in and around the lobby. We thought what a great opportunity to create an experience before watching the show, so Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is about to take over the lobby and this one is courtesy of Hot Topic. You will have a twisted experience in the movie and it is really amazing. It will transport you through the film and it will be the 30th anniversary of this amazing film. From the second you step into the lobby until you step into the ballroom, we’ll have plenty to celebrate throughout the night. It will be great fun for the whole family. I also love our show about the love thing; It’s something the whole family can enjoy and it’s fun for all ages. I just can’t wait. Get there early, get your wristbands, because it will be standing room only and I can’t wait to share what’s in store.

Due to the ongoing WGA strike, several major studios have sat out of Comic-Con this year, but that obviously provides a great opportunity to light up shows like this. Are you excited to have more eyes than ever on the San Diego Universe next month?

Oh, I mean absolutely. I am so happy and blessed to be able to continue our show and the ninth annual show. Also to have the opportunity to showcase the absolutely incredible talent of all these designers. At her core and foremost, what I always wanted for her universe fashion show was to provide a real runway to showcase the talent of this amazing up and coming designers. When I went to San Diego Comic-Con, from 2007, then to 2011, that’s when I started getting the idea for her universe fashion show. I see these fans creating these one-of-a-kind couture designs and using the halls of San Diego Comic-Con to showcase them.

All I ever thought was, ‘You know, these designs are amazing, they’re worthy of a real runway like New York Fashion Week.’ The fact that these designers now have such a big stage and a very important stage to show their work has exceeded my expectations. The show has truly been a life changer for these designers. They actually got careers from our show. Now they use the Her Universe fashion show on their rims as an essential and of course, get them work. Some of the designers at our show got direct work and that’s something I’m very proud of. I’m just so grateful that the legacy continues.

It’s fair to say that your outfits are always one of the biggest talking points to come out of a fashion show, and I know you usually cover that, but can you tell us what to expect?

Well, all I can say is that I always like to do something one-of-a-kind and never done before. We have achieved that twice. I started with the first dress I saw, made by the amazing LEGO master Nathan Sawaya. It was the first LEGO couture that could walk the runway. Then we wore the first ever Funko Pop couture dress made from 500 Funko Pop heads. A LEGO set of over 10,000 LEGO bricks was created just to give you the details inside! This year’s look incorporates technology like never before for fashion. I’m really excited about it and it’s something that Disney is known for. Disney uses technology in storytelling in a way that hasn’t been done before, so we’re taking a page from the script and doing it in fashion. I’m really excited to show it off.

I’m a huge Marvel fan, and it feels like that brand is going to be a big part of the fashion scene this year – how fun was it when you threw superheroes into the mix and saw what people could do with those costumes?

There are several Marvel appearances in our show this year. Some me and my co-presenter are going to come up with, but the two designers are inspired by Marvel. Follow it. The biggest thing for anyone new to our show to understand is that this is not cosplay. This is character or story inspired fashion, and these one-of-a-kind looks are inspired by favorite Disney stories and characters. You’ll definitely see some never-before-seen looks and some revolutionary looks from Marvel this year. They involve technology and are all very different! Again, you won’t want to miss the show. Get there early, get your wristband, get seated, and you won’t regret it. I assure everyone, once again, that her Universe Fashion Show will be one of the highlights of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

Will it be broadcast live to people at home or is it planned to drop the footage after the event?

We’ll be posting video of the event after the fact, but there will be plenty of live content from the Her Universe fashion show. Follow all her universe social channels and all hot topic social channels. Also Disney. There will be an overload of content coming directly from the show. Fans are allowed to use their phones and cameras from the event, so there will be plenty of live content coming from it. Next, stay tuned for videos we’ll be dropping throughout the weekend.

I know inclusion, representation and mental health awareness are all important to you from our previous conversation, but what do you hope people take away from this year’s fashion show?

You know, what I love about our event is that anyone can participate. We had designers who had literally no fashion design experience and taught us how to create couture-level fashion from YouTube. One of the designers I’m referring to taught herself how to sew and has now received her Masters Degree in Fashion Design. She’s incredibly successful but she’s done it all on her own and is completely self-made. That is the story of many designers in our show. Anything is possible. Our show… just like Walt Disney’s, starts with ideas and imagination. The impossible is truly possible. If you can dream it, you can do it. That’s what I hope people walk away from our show thinking they can do anything. I hope they walk away inspired and realize that ‘dreams are what your heart makes them and dreams can and do come true’.

Comic-Con is a great place for this show, but looking ahead, do you want to take this thing international or anything along those lines?

Oh well, well, first of all, I actually got back from England at 2am this morning! I had the opportunity to return for another visit and a piece of my heart lives in London and England. I absolutely love it there, so anything I can do to expand her universe globally is always exciting and a dream come true for me. Her Universe Fashion Show will always have its home at San Diego Comic-Con because it was intended and always will be the show’s home base. However, in the way that I am able to continue her universe around the world, we are always looking for opportunities to do so.

We’ll take an opportunity in time and I have nothing to share. Universe Fashion Show Worldwide, we will definitely explore those opportunities. There are fans all over the world and I know we have support all over the world so stay tuned! Follow Her Universe and Myself on social media and we will always keep fans updated with all the latest and greatest information and news.