THE HER UNIVERSE FASHION SHOW CELEBRATES
5TH ANNIVERSARY MILESTONE ON JULY 19 WITH
GRAND RETURN TO SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON
INTERNATIONAL
Biggest and Best “Geek Couture” Fashion Show Yet
including Debut of Ashley Eckstein’s Jaw-Dropping Gown
Los Angeles, CA June 29, 2018 – The world’s top “geek couture” fashion event, The Her Universe Fashion Show, is celebrating its 5th anniversary this year by returning to San Diego Comic-Con International with its biggest and best show yet. Host, actress, author of “It’s Your Universe” and Her Universe Founder, Ashley Eckstein, will be debuting a very special jaw-dropping gown created by 2013 fashion show winner, Andrew MacLaine. The 5th annual Her Universe Fashion Show will take place on Thursday, July 19th, 6pm, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Diego. Doors open to the public at 5:15pm.
Presented by Her Universe, Hot Topic and Loungefly in partnership with BoxLunch, Cartoon Network, SINGER® Sewing Company and Zenni Optical this year’s milestone event brings together an all new group of 24 aspiring designers who will present their original “geek couture” designs on the runway. Three winners will be awarded the opportunity to design a fashion collection with Her Universe and Loungefly for leading pop-culture retailer Hot Topic – a judges’ winner, audience choice winner and, for the first time, a SINGER® Sewing Company winner chosen for excellent sewing and construction. Past year’s winners have created designs for some of Hot Topic’s most popular and best-selling collections.
Cartoon Network will be joining The Her Universe Fashion Show this year with a first-ever Junior Designer Showcase – a competition for aspiring designers between ages six to seventeen. The four winners of the Junior Designer Contest will be announced and presented with the opportunity to design an apparel piece inspired by The Powerpuff Girls with Her Universe for the pop-culture and gifting retailer, BoxLunch. Cartoon Network will also give fans in the audience a chance to show off their individual style and walk the runway.
Behind the scenes coverage will be provided to fans this year thanks to our special content sponsor, Zenni eyewear. Leading tech expert, geek fashion influencer and eyewear connoisseur, Katie Linendoll, will be joining Ashley Eckstein as a special correspondent, bringing fans an additional point of view called “Eyes on the Runway” provided by Zenni.
Guest judges joining the Her Universe 2018 Fashion Show panel will be Cindy Levitt, Senior Vice President of Licensing for Hot Topic, Todd Keller, Merchandising Manager for Loungefly, Joanna Fogt-Sohn, Senior Creative Director for Licensing and Merchandising at Cartoon Network, Olivia Mears, SINGER® Sewing Ambassador, who creates wearable art using unconventional materials and is known for her “food fashion,” Jane Francisco, Editor-In-Chief of Good Housekeeping and 2017 Her Universe Fashion Show winners Rose Ivy, Grace Duval and Lindsay Orndorff . Her Universe will be debuting new fangirl fashion designs at this year’s show and fan favorite DJ Amanda Jones will once again be returning to provide music for the event. Espionage Cosmetics is also returning as the beauty sponsor for the fashion show.
Press coverage is invited. Please RSVP with your full name, media outlet
and any special filming requests by July 12 via email to
rsvp@heruniverse.com
More information, including press check-in, will be provided upon confirmation.
For interview requests with Ashley Eckstein, please email
brenda@triple7pr.com
For all other media inquiries about The Her Universe Fashion Show,
please email press@heruniverse.com
ABOUT HER UNIVERSE
Her Universe was launched in 2010 by actress, entrepreneur and author of “It’s Your Universe,” Ashley Eckstein. Her Universe markets to female sci-fi and fantasy fans by developing and producing collections of female-centered apparel and accessories for top franchises including Star Wars, Marvel, Disney, Doctor Who, DC Comics and Studio Ghibli. In 2018, Eckstein launched Our Universe, fashion for men and boys with the mission to offer fashion for all. You can learn more about Her Universe and Our Universe and purchase the current line of apparel and accessories by going to www.heruniverse.com and by following Eckstein & Her Universe online @HerUniverse on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Her Universe is a stand-alone subsidiary of Hot Topic, Inc.
ABOUT HOT TOPIC
Hot Topic, headquartered in City of Industry, CA, was the first retailer to make alternative apparel and accessories available at malls across the country. Today, Hot Topic is the fandom haven for guys and girls obsessed with music and all things pop culture. Founded in 1989, Hot Topic operates 693 stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico and an online store at www.hottopic.com. For more information, visit hottopic.com and follow @hottopic on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram and Snapchat.
ABOUT LOUNGEFLY
Founded in 1998, Loungefly is a designer of a variety of licensed pop culture fashion handbags, small leather goods and accessories. Acquired by Funko, Inc. (Nasdaq:FNKO), a leading pop culture consumer products company in June 2017, it has become a design driven lifestyle accessory brand. Constantly striving to be innovative and aiming to inspire. Based in Southern California, Loungefly is available in specialty stores, boutiques and department stores nation-wide. Loungefly designs and sells a wide selection of unique licensed bags, and accessories including Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Sanrio and Pokémon. Learn more at www.loungefly.com.
ABOUT CARTOON NETWORK
Cartoon Network is Turner’s global entertainment brand and the #1 animation network in the U.S., offering the best in original content for kids and families with such hits as, Adventure Time, The Powerpuff Girls, Steven Universe, We Bare Bearsand The Amazing World of Gumball. Seen in 192 countries and over 400 million homes, Cartoon Network is known for being a leader in innovation with its approach to engaging and inspiring kids at the intersection of creativity and technology. Its pro-social initiative, Stop Bullying: Speak Up is an acknowledged and often used resource for kids and adults looking for tools that can assist in dealing with the ongoing issue of bullying.
Cartoon Network is part of Turner, a WarnerMedia company, a global entertainment, sports and news company that creates premium content and delivers exceptional experiences to fans whenever and wherever they consume content. These efforts are fueled by data-driven insights and industry-leading technology. Turner owns and operates some of the most valuable brands in the world, including Adult Swim, Bleacher Report, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN, ELEAGUE, FilmStruck, Great Big Story, HLN, iStreamPlanet, Super Deluxe, TBS,Turner Classic Movies (TCM), TNT, truTV and Turner Sports.
About SINGER® Sewing Company
Since 1851, the name Singer has been synonymous with sewing. We are thrilled to carry the spirit of creativity and innovative design into the Cosplay and costuming community where we strive to inspire and delight artists of every level. From the sewing expert to the sewing-curious, we can provide the tools to bring your creations to life. Visit singer.com and follow SINGER Sewing Company on all major social media platforms to learn more.
ABOUT BOXLUNCH
BoxLunch is a specialty retailer offering a curated collection of licensed pop culture merchandise. With every $10 spent across the retailers’ themed product offering of apparel, accessories, home goods, gift and novelty, and collectibles BoxLunch will provide a meal* to a person in need through its philanthropic partnerships. To join the movement and help in the fight against hunger visit BoxLunch in-store or online at www.boxlunch.com to learn more on how you can get involved in your local community. BoxLunch is headquartered in CA and currently operates over 100 stores throughout the US. For more information, please visit www.boxlunch.comand follow @boxlunchgifts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
*For every $10 spent, BoxLunch will donate at least one meal to Feeding America. $1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks. BoxLunch guarantees a minimum of 5,000,000 meals (monetary equivalent of $500,000) to Feeding America and member food banks February 1, 2018-January 31, 2019. Meal claim valid as of 7/1/17 and subject to change.
#GETSOMEGIVEBACK
@boxlunchgifts
ABOUT ZENNI
Zenni Optical pioneered the online eyewear business in 2003 to make premium eyewear affordable and accessible to everyone. Based in Marin County, California, Zenni offers men, women, and children the freedom to express their personal style and individuality through high-quality prescription glasses and sunglasses. With its curated collections and thousands of frames, Zenni has sold more than 20 million pairs of glasses since its founding. For more information, visit www.zenni.com or connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.
ABOUT SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL
Comic-Con International: San Diego is a nonprofit educational corporation dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation for, comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture. For more information on this year’s San Diego Comic Con go to http://www.comic-con.org/cci