Announcement on August 30, 2022

We regret to inform participants and attendees that due to unforeseen circumstances, our Fandom Fashion Fusion event has been cancelled. We were excited for this event and hope to see it return in the future and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. —Kumoricon team, August 30, 2022

Fandom Fashion Fusion

Bridging the gap between fashion and cosplay creation. Portland Fashion Week is bringing an exciting opportunity for designers and makers to show their stuff, strut the runway, and the chance to win a special grand prize! Designers are competing in 3 categories for an amazing top prize! Come see their fabulous cosplay inspired fashion collections modeled for the runway!

How to Enter

• Entries are now open. You can sign up by filling out the designer entry form. Please review the rules and restrictions below.
• All entries are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. If all entry slots are full, there will be a waiting list for additional entrants who may be called in if anyone drops out or is disqualified.
• Serious entries only, please. Submission of art/sketches references of the collection you plan to show is not the last step. Please make sure you have the time and energy to put into bringing your designs to life before applying and occupying an existing slot. There will only be 15–20 competitors accepted.
• If you have any questions, please email portland.fashion.week@kumoricon.org.

Rules and Restrictions

Eligibility

• All participants (designers and their models) must have a Kumoricon 2022 badge.
  • Designers are responsible for finding their own models, and providing their own hair and makeup.
• All participants must read and agree to follow all rules of the Fashion Show, Oregon Convention Center, and Kumoricon.
• Costumes currently entered in a Kumoricon Cosplay Contest are ineligible.
• By entering Fandom Fashion Fusion, all participants agree to allow Kumoricon and Portland Fashion Week to use their images for promotional purposes, both photographs and video—both those submitted in the entry, and those taken by us. Photographs of winning entries may be shown at the Kumoricon Closing Ceremonies.
• All convention policies must be upheld during the entirety of the Fashion Show. Anyone breaking Kumoricon rules will be disqualified and reported to Operations or Yojimbo.
• Kumoricon general staff may enter the Fashion Show as long as staff-related responsibilities are fulfilled. (We are happy to have you!)
• Kumoricon board members may not compete in the Fashion Show.

How to Enter

• Entries are now open as of August 15, 2022. To sign up, fill out the designer entry form on this page, below these rules.
• The deadline for entry forms received online is September 15, 2022, at 11:59pm.
• The total number of entries that will be allowed this year will be 15–20 designers.
  • Each designer may submit 1–5 original fashion designs based on existing characters from anime, video games, TV, movies, and more!
  • Designers shall submit reference images, swatches, and/or sketches of the original characters and what you are trying to convey for the designs in your collection. (We understand that designs change from sketches as you sew, and this is perfectly alright! However if the characters being used or your chosen category begin to differ from your entry form, please contact us at portland.fashion.week@kumoricon.org to update your entry character and category.)
• All entries are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. If all entry slots are full, there will be a waiting list for additional entrants who may be called in if anyone drops out or is disqualified.
• Entrants must attend and be present on-time at the following events:
  • Check in with Portland Fashion Week at our booth no less than 3 hours before showtime! This applies to both models and designers. (You do not need to be in costume at this point.)
  • Rehearsal. Time TBD. All models and designers must attend stage rehearsal. Failure for models to appear may disqualify one or all garments in a designer's collection. Please show up, on time, to where you are supposed to be for the sake and respect of all those competing, everyone walking, and all designers that didn't make the cut watching from the audience.

General Information

• Kumoricon is an all-ages-friendly event. Content should not go beyond mild PG.
  • No hate! This is a safe space for positive encouragement of makers and the cosplay community. Be kind, stay kind, or stay home!
  • Offensive language of any kind is not allowed—no racial or sexual epithets; no profanity, etc.
  • No excessive violence.
  • No sexual activity or contact—real or implied.
  • No nudity—all costumes must adhere to the official Kumoricon Code of Conduct.
  • No characters from adults-only source material or hentai will be allowed.
  • Be clever, not crass! If you think your costume or presentation might be too risqué or offensive, it probably is.
  • If you have a question about your content, please feel free to ask the Fashion Staff if it is allowable.
• You may surprise the audience, but never surprise the crew.
• No fire, flame, smoke, fog, dry ice, wind machines, lasers, pressurized gases, or liquids.
• No messy substances—wet, dry, or oily—in the green room or on stage.
• No jumping on or off stage—please use the officially designated stage entrances and exits.
• Entrants must abide by the convention weapons policies. Pointing weapons at anyone not in your group will not be tolerated. The Fashion Coordinator must approve any actions involving weapons.
• Contestants may not use stage time to make political, religious, insulting, or other demonstrations not related to their entry.
• Contestants who violate any of our performance rules may have their performance stopped and may be disqualified.
• If for whatever reason one contestant is removed from competition for any violation the entire group may be disqualified as well depending on the situation.
• Decisions made by the Coordinator(s) may only be challenged if brought to the Director of Programming.
• You must have some kind of foot covering. Shoes or boots are required. Be aware of safety concerns. If your character does not wear shoes the lack of accuracy will be forgiven; consider flesh-toned or clear shoes.
• COVID-19 precautions will be used throughout the whole event. Please consult the Kumoricon Code of Conduct for the most up-to-date COVID-19 requirements, which are subject to change based on the latest circumstances.

Categories

There are 3 categories that designers will be able to compete and show:

• Bridal and Couture
  • Fancy gowns, high fashion jumpsuits, gala appropriate originals, a truly spectacular tuxedo? This tier is for all things "couture" and elegantly beautiful.
• Streetwear
  • Hip-hop, sportswear, punk, skateboarding, and Japanese street fashion-styled clothing are all great examples of streetwear! Show us your best collection of garments ready to show off and walk the streets of the world!
• You Name It!
  • This category is for anything else that just doesn't seem right in the couture and streetwear collections! Do you make character-themed purses or accessories? Maybe fun mashups, time and era themed entries like renaissance, steam, or cyberpunk cosplay, specialty gijinkas, or so much more! You choose the name of this category, and one special winner will be chosen from all categories entered in "You Name It!".

Judging

• In-person judging will take place just before the show after stage rehearsals. 3 judges will be looking over your finished collections as a group with each designer and all of their models when you are all dressed and ready to go.
• Judges will be decided winners in each category based on multiple factors, such as, but not limited to:
  • Trueness to the category chosen.
  • Detailing/skill/effort put into design aspects and sewing.
  • Your eye for color and design and how that appeals to the fashion industry of the PNW in 2022.
  • Inspiring design potential. The winners chosen will be able to create their own collections of any kind to walk PFW's 2023 runway. We are looking for designers whose submissions speak to their ability to do so much more than character-themed fashion and come back creating their own original iconic fashion style to inspire the catwalk.
  • Character recognition. Your designs can vary wildly from the characters you have based them off of, but in some way (color palette / design elements / accessories / etc.) something should remind the judges of the original inspiration.
  • Attitude. We at PFW desire to create a safe and inspiring place for all of the amazing and lovely models, designers, and makeup and hair crew we are so lucky to get to work with each year! Respect for others and your craft is a must. The greatest designs ever created could walk this competition, however if the designer has chosen to create a negative and hostile environment for those around them, it is unlikely they would be invited back for future shows. Be kind, be respectful, and have fun!
• The runway itself for all intents and purposes is a fashion show. Winners will NOT be announced at the end of the runway. We want to use this stage to show off our designer entries and all of their hard work. Win or not, this runway is for you and everything you have accomplished.
  • Winners will be announced at Closing Ceremonies and online after judges have gotten the opportunity to deliberate and discuss the amazing things we've seen you all create and decide who we can't wait to see more from next year!