Ask many students on the SMU campus and they will tell you that a walk down the Boulevard can resemble a walk down the catwalk.

With the addition of the fashion media minor in the fall of 2011, it is no secret that SMU students have a passion for fashion, which is why it was no surprise that the first SMU Fashion Week in the spring of 2012 was a huge success.

Now that the 2nd fashion week is around the corner, both the SMU and Dallas fashion communities are excited for this year’s event including founder and SMU graduate Grace Davis.

“It is amazing that SMU students can carry on an event like this that really aims to support their dreams,” said Davis. “It looks like they have worked really hard and I am proud to say I am apart of the SMU fashion community.”

After hearing about the University of Pennsylvania’s fashion week, Davis decided that an event like this would flourish within the SMU community. Her goal was not only to host a fun weeklong event but to also teach younger SMU students what is possible within the fashion industry.

In the fall of 2011, Davis started laying the foundation of what would become SMU Fashion Week. Her first step was getting the director of the fashion media minor, Camille Kraeplin, involved. After Davis came to her, Kraeplin was more than willing to help with this project as she felt it was part of her role as director to support and promote events like this one.

“Grace knew that we had a student body with a strong interest in both the art and commerce of fashion,” said Kraeplin. “She believed Fashion Week would work, both here at SMU and in Dallas. And she was right.”

The other person Davis contacted was Shelby Foster, the president of SMU’s Retail Club at the time. After Retail Club agreed to sponsor the event, Fashion Week had its first team.

The team was made up of the executive board of Retail Club, which included Rebecca Marin (president), Foster (vice president), Julia Eggleston (design), and Meg Jones (event chair). And four committees: Public Relations, Community Involvement, Design, and Video, which were made up of SMU students.

Although she had all the support she needed, Davis dealt with all the difficulties that accompany putting on a large five day long event that had not yet been done in the community.

One of the hardest parts, according to Davis, was dealing with how many details went into it.

“Grace spent a year planning the first SMU Fashion Week,” said Kraeplin. “From finding a team to confirming venues and speakers to raising funds and identifying sponsors.”

However, even with the obstacles, Davis credits the team’s attitude that kept the process going. “I had such a great team and since it was new, people were so enthusiastic and they wanted to be involved,” Davis said.

Even after effectively planning and organizing the event, all of the hard work didn’t pay off for Davis until she saw the turn out for the first lecture, which was on the business of blogging. It wasn’t just the amount of students that showed up, but faculty as well that made it all worthwhile for Davis.

What the team was about to find out was that it wasn’t just the first lecture that would have successful attendance but the entire week would be a big hit.

“Seeing how many people turned out was the best feeling,” Davis said.

Thanks to last year’s success, there is nothing but excitement surrounding the upcoming SMU Fashion Week.

Co-executive director and public relations director of Fashion Week, Rebecca Marin, also served on Fashion Week’s Executive Board last year. According to Marin, preparations for Fashion Week begin 7-12 months in advance. The team focuses on figuring out what their audiences will be interested in and what their audiences need to know about the fashion industry.

“Not only do our audiences have a level of fashion sophistication, but they also have an intellectual and scholarly sophistication that shows they don’t just like to shop and talk about shoes,” said Marin, “but they are serious about holding prominent roles in the industry.”

It is the audiences’ desire to learn from experts that direct the SMU Fashion Week team to plan educational events like panels and lectures that aim to inform about the fashion industry.

“I’m especially excited to hear from SMU alums Amber Venz and Baxter Box, president and CEO of rewardStyle, the fashion blog-monetization platform they founded here in Dallas,” said Kraeplin who expects this panel to highlight how technology is changing fashion.

Although the majority of Fashion Week aims to educate, the last event of Fashion Week is always the highly anticipated fashion show. This year, Marin is extremely excited because the team has decided to host the show on the Boulevard.

“Since I was the Fashion Show Coordinator of the SMU Retail Club my freshman year, my dream has been to see the show take place on one of the beautiful medians of Bishop Boulevard,” Marin said.

“This year, that dream is coming true.”

With Dallas growing as a component in the fashion industry, this year the buzz about SMU Fashion Week is not just among the SMU community but has spread to the fashion community in Dallas as well.

“Dallas is a town with a significant fashion community and presence,” Kraeplin said.

“Fashion Week is the perfect opportunity to tap into some of that talent and provide a fun and educational experience for both our fashion media students and the rest of campus.”