
And as we were releasing our fashion collections, a lot of the guys were saying, "Hey, I want that. I also think now, with more options for fangirls, it's commonplace to walk into a store and see 50/50, to see just as many things for women and girls as men and boys.īut a couple of years ago, we started the sub-brand called Our Universe because I always said I wouldn't make stuff for men and boys, or even unisex items, for anyone, unless I felt like certain fashion items weren't being done. The thought that the lead of a new "Star Wars" franchise would be a girl. I mean, Her Universe is 11 years old, but back then the idea of a " Black Widow" movie or the idea of a " Wonder Woman" movie was just preposterous. And the one thing that was really important to us is that the audience at home still gets to choose the audience winner. Now, as many people as they want can watch the show. It also opens it up to a lot more people to watch the show because in the ballroom, where we typically host our show, only 2000 people can fit.

So it opened it up to a lot more designers. And so now, as long as they could afford to make their couture design, anyone could enter. And some designers just couldn't do that. When we did the show in person there's a rule that you have to be able to go to San Diego Comic-Con.

But when we opened up for submissions, we had an overwhelming response from designers.Īnd I think the positive to it is that it made the show accessible to people unlike ever before. They had to obviously film a lot on their own video, diaries and interviews. You know, a lot of it relied on the designers, because the designers had to create a virtual runway in their space. And so when we started exploring what the show could look like virtually, we realized it was possible.
