The Future Fashion Folio & Show is an event in two parts: the juried design contest and the Future Fashion Show taking place at Costume-Con 42. The Future Fashion Folio is open to anyone. You do not have to have a membership to the convention or be affiliated with any particular costuming group or organization to enter the design part of the contest. All designers whose work is selected for publication will receive a digital copy of the Folio PDF upon publication.
As our inspiration for Costume-Con 42 features the comical, fantastic, and improbable themes of Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, we encourage you to be inspired by retro science fiction, comedic space opera, and zany time-travel fantasy. Don’t forget your towel!
Video
Videography provided by Eric Cannon of Rare Recorded Videos. Please email rrvorders@yahoo.com for more information and ordering.
Photos
CC42 Official Photography provided by Underhill Imagery. Photos require 3-6 weeks processing time and are estimated to be available late April/early May.
About the Future Fashion Show…
Questions about the Future Fashion Folio & Show can be sent to the Director, Dorothy O’Hare, at futurefashion@costumecon42.org.
The Future Fashion Show takes the designs published in the Future Fashion Folio and brings them to glorious life! The Future Fashion Show is a simple catwalk format and a terrific way for new convention participants to experience costume competition. The Future Fashion Show takes place on Saturday Morning, March 30, 2024 at 11:00 AM.
Upon publication of the Folio on October 8, 2023, makers and designers may peruse the Folio and begin to strategize their design and construction choices. All designers included in the Folio will have access to the Folio PDF.
Makers may construct multiple designs but may model only one entry during the Show (the pacing of this event does not allow time for costume changes). It is acceptable for an entry in the Fashion Show to be made by one person and modeled by another, but both maker and model must be members of Costume-Con 42. Multiple recreations of a design are allowed.
Audio will be provided but entries may indicate music preferences and include a script for the MCs to be read during the entry’s introduction.
If for any reason you discover you will not be able to present as planned, please notify the Director as soon as possible so that adjustments can be made.
Future Fashion Show Safety & Security Policies
- All entrants must possess a CC42 Membership valid for DATE to participate.
- All entrants must abide by the CC42 and Shiny Garden Convention Policies while on convention premises. costumecon42.org/policies
- Costumes and props must abide by all facility regulations, as well as local and federal laws.
- Costumes may not contain or display elements that disparage, harass, or attack any person, gender, gender presentation, pronoun choice, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity, national origin, language, culture, religion, age, or affiliation.
- Costumes may not represent any national or international tragedies.
- Costumes must adhere to local decency laws. In practical terms, this means “bikini areas” must be covered at all times for all genders. Footwear is required on convention premises.
- No real weapons (including but not limited to firearms), even if you have a permit or a license, are permitted on convention premises. No live steel (aka blades of metal that can take an edge), projectiles, or realistic-appearing firearms. No liquids, aerosols, silly string, or projectile foam.
- Props resembling futuristic or fantasy weapons, boffers, or oversize objects are allowed provided they are not handled in a careless, threatening, or destructive manner against persons or property.
Failure to comply with these policies and/or the instructions of staff or security personnel may result in immediate removal from the convention without refund.
Photo & AV Policy
By entering the event premises, you consent to interview(s), photography, audio recording, video recording and its/their release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction to be used for news, web casts, promotional purposes, telecasts, advertising, inclusion on websites, social media, or any other purpose by Shiny Garden and its affiliates and representatives. Images, photos and/or videos may be used to promote similar Shiny Garden events in the future, highlight the event and exhibit the capabilities of Shiny Garden.
By registering for the event, you release Shiny Garden, its officers and employees, and each and all persons involved from any liability connected with the taking, recording, digitizing, or publication and use of interviews, photographs, computer images, video and/or sound recordings. By entering the event premises, you waive all rights you may have to any claims for payment of royalties in connection with any use, exhibition, streaming, webcasting, televising, or other publication of these materials, regardless of the purpose or sponsoring of such use, exhibiting, broadcasting, webcasting, or other publication irrespective of whether a fee for admission or sponsorship is charged. You also waive any right to inspect or approve any photo, video, or audio recording taken by Shiny Garden or the person or entity designated to do so by Shiny Garden.
Presentation, Categories & Judging
The FFS is unlike a masquerade in that presentations will consist of a simple runway walk. Unlike the SFF Masquerade and Historical Masquerade, skill divisions are not utilized in judging criteria; instead we rely on the categories developed and included in the Folio. Judging will begin in the Green Room at 9AM on Saturday, March 30, 2024 (tentative).
Categories included in the CC42 Folio are Leisure Wear, Business/Occupational Attire, Sportswear, Good Enough To Eat, Lingerie, Heroic, Religious/Ceremonial Wear, Outerwear, Party/Festival Wear, Infinitely Improbable, Environmental Flora & Fauna, Space, Formal Wear, and Aliens.
Participants are not responsible for providing their own soundtrack or presentation, but are encouraged to note any special requests in the preregistration form. Preregistration will collect contact information, choice of design, and various other show-related details.
Questions about the Future Fashion Folio & Show can be sent to the Director, Dorothy O’Hare, at futurefashion@costumecon42.org.
About the Future Fashion Folio…
Folio submissions are closed! The Folio will be released to CC42 members & designers on October 1, 2023.
Future Fashion Folio Design Submission Policies…
- No designs, elements, or costumes that disparage, harass, or attack any person, gender, gender presentation, pronoun choice, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity, national origin, language, culture, religion, age, or affiliation are permitted.
- All submitted designs are reviewed by a judging panel (“juried”). Accepted designs will be published as a PDF and provided to both convention members and designers whose work appears in the Folio. All images will be scaled to 8.5”x11” (A4) pages for publication.
- Designs are not restricted to existing materials, techniques, resources, beings, or natural or physical laws – there are no limits but your imagination! Of course, wearability can affect whether your design might be selected by a potential creator for the Future Fashion Show.
- You may submit any number of designs, but you may appear in the Show yourself only once.
- You may submit as many designs as you wish, as often as you wish, between June 15, 2023 and September 15, 2023 when Future Fashion Folio submissions close.
- All designs must be ORIGINAL IDEAS. Entries are judged only on the design, not the artistic skill of the drawing. You can draw your designs on traced croquis figures or have someone else draw it for you with proper credit.
Digital Illustration & Drawing Tools…
The Future Fashion Design Center is the hub for all things Future Fashion & Costume-Con! Be sure to visit to view past submissions, guides, and tools to assist you in your design adventure!
- Fashion Figures: Can’t draw figures??? Well, here are some base figures (also know as fashion croquis). These will help you out so you can just concentrate on designing.
- Fashion Croquis Templates: A printable fashion sketches collection of fashion figure drawing templates features a large assortment of female fashion croquis, male fashion croquis, kids fashion croquis, colored fashion figure sketches, and technical drawing figures in a variety of fashion poses.
- Canva: a design tool available for most platforms as well as in most internet browsers.
- Procreate: an affordable and powerful Apple-only digital illustration application.
Potential Categories…
Please see below a list of past & proposed categories. This is not a limited list but a jumping off point; let them be an inspiration to you! Judging categories will be based on the theme as well as the designs we receive. Categories may include but are not limited to…
- Children
- Teens
- Bathing/Swimwear
- Environmental/Flora/Fauna
- Couples/Trios/Quartets
- Travel
- Business/Occupational
- Formal/Evening
- Court/Royalty
- Ceremonial/Religious
- Supernatural/Magical
- Aliens/Non-Humans
- Bridal/Wedding
- Ethnic/Traditional
- Festival/Party
- Leisure
- Lingerie/Sleep
- Maternity
- Entertainment (singers/actors/dancers/musicians)
- Heavy Worlders/Microgravity (higher or lower gravity environments)
- Sports (including sports not yet invented)
- Uniforms (civilian or military, every day or dress)
- ……???
Submitting your design entry…
Each design submission should include:
- A black and white unshaded line drawing of the design, along with the designer name, designer e-mail address, and a distinctive design title formatted as a PDF, PNG, JPG image with a resolution of no less than 300 dpi and no more than 600 dpi.
- OPTIONAL additional views or poses, or color variations of the design, formatted as PDF, PNG, JPG images with resolution of no less than 300 dpi and no more than 600 dpi.
- Supporting text, notes, or documentation about sources of inspiration, information to help a maker construct the design, and any special features of the design, including but not limited to design details, fabric suggestions, colors, patterns, or embellishments.
Designers wishing to reserve exclusive maker rights to their own designs (for themselves or anyone else) should indicate this in the submission form at the time the design is submitted. If you do not “reserve” the design, then any convention member can use it to enter the Show part of the competition. Such designs will be marked as “Reserved” in the Folio publication.
By submitting your designs to Costume-Con you agree to the non-profit use and publication of said designs by Costume-Con, prior to and during the run of the convention, also their reproduction in the Future Fashion Show. All rights revert back to the designer after the convention.