SNR 40: BURN
Models walking down the runway while The Lot was playing in the center of the horseshoe-shaped runway. Photo by Ava Battinelli '26
For guests arriving at the McCann Center on May 8, the Silver Needle Runway (SNR) only occupied a few hours of their time. For the students behind the show, those same hours carried the weight of a year’s worth of planning, creativity and relentless work.
SNR 40’s theme “BURN” defined the production. It is a representation of both burning passion and burnout, two feelings college students often experience. The theme is also an ode to the 300-plus students who tirelessly work to produce a seamless and professional show.
Mirroring the theme of burning passion, intensity and energy, Student Creative Director Natalie Ursich ‘26 made a bold change this year by incorporating live music.
The Lot, a New York-based band, occupied the center of the runway, playing a mix of original songs and well-known covers. The band was lit with orange lights as the models walked the horseshoe-shaped runway surrounding them.
“Music is a really big part of my life. Not that I can play an instrument or sing for that matter, but I just love live music. I love going to concerts. So I took a lot of inspiration from Victoria's Secret shows,” said Ursich. “At the time, I didn't know if it was possible to get that because they're playing the entire show, and that's a lot to ask of any band.”
To start the production, Rebecca Brown, chair of the fashion department, recognized all of the students’ hard work and dedication. As she delivered her closing remarks, The Lot took over the space and set the tone for the show.
“They have been so incredible to work with,” said Ursich. “They are open to just about anything and have been super collaborative, which is awesome. It's all tying together so well that I almost cried watching them the first time.”
Unlike previous years, when the models were revealed individually, all the models entered the stage collectively, listening to the band and watching their fellow models walk the runway.
The show, which was much larger than last year's, featured 19 professional models, over 30 student models and eight child models for a specific collection featuring children’s wear.
Talent and Runway Production Student Director Victoria Stout ‘26 said, “I was so proud and happy with the student models this year because we did a lot of runway training, and a lot of them really, truly improved from last year. Like, you would never know who was a student and who was a professional.”
Each of the 32 collections presented on the runway represented the culmination of a designer’s four years at Marist, serving as a capstone to their college careers.
Among them was Coryn Rebimbas’s ‘26 collection, “Girls Invented Punk Rock,” which represented the clothes she wished she could find in stores when she was younger. Rebimbas was also inspired by adaptive wear, designed to facilitate dressing for those with disabilities.
Unlike the other designers, Rebimbas’s collection was created for young girls and therefore featured child models. Many of the children were from the Boys and Girls Club in Poughkeepsie, one was affiliated with the Runway of Dreams Foundation and several were professors' children.
“The model searching process was actually quite an adventure,” said Rebimbas. “There's been a lot of stuff I have to do differently from everyone else. I've had to go to a couple of different model castings, so that was really interesting. And then also having to get certain rules made so this collection could walk and be made.”
Aside from the designers, the students behind the production have also been preparing for the night of SNR throughout the academic year. What is portrayed as a three-credit class on the Marist course catalogue requires a much larger time commitment and level of effort from students who enroll in the SNR Experiential Course.
“It's just such a unique experience that we're 22 years old, and we can go out into the real world and go out postgrad and say, ‘Yeah, I've managed a team of seven people doing a high-level project like this,’” said Student Director of Wardrobe and Collections Operations, Miette Visneau ‘26.
The class is overseen by Juan-Manuel Olivera-Silvera, but largely operated through the senior student directors. Each team focuses on one of the many moving parts that make up a fashion show to allow for a cohesive production.
Olivera-Silvera said, “We have students who come from art, and some media studies and fashion. And often they work on things that are more related to their field, and then sometimes they don't really see where it fits in the big picture, and now all of a sudden it's like, ‘Boom.’ All these things are connecting the dots, and it's a lot of work.”
According to Communications Student Director Lindsay Tsiantoulas ‘26, this year's show was set to occupy up to 2,600 people, 300 more than last year. As the show has grown in size, it has also incorporated new elements; this year, the Front of House, a space for attendees to mingle before the show, featured an open bar.
“It was just something new we wanted to try out,” said Lizzie Kershaw ‘26, who spearheaded the idea. “I think there's a lot of free time when a lot of people get to the doors right at 5 p.m., and people like to just stand in Front of House, so we thought it would be a good addition for all the guests.”
As SNR 40 wrapped up, it was already time for rising seniors to begin preparing for next year's show, SNR 41.
“It's exciting to pass the torch on to the next group of directors and see what they're going to do,” said Kershaw. “I'm looking forward to helping them and guiding them along the way, and they can learn from my mistakes and what went wrong and what didn't.”