MU Runway, Mercer’s fashion-forward student organization on campus, held casting calls on Tuesday, Nov. 18 for the club's most popular event, the spring fashion show. The club searched for models, makeup artists, hair dressers and crew members. Aspiring models showed off their runway walks and stuck poses in front of MU Runway’s executive committee in Toney Auditorium.
“We really are looking for three main things in our models: confidence, personality and coachability,” MU Runway President Bereket Israel '27 said. “Our casting is open to both returning models and students who have never modeled before. We want to emphasize inclusivity and help build up our MU Runway community through our spring show.”
Last year’s theme, “Threads of Revolution,” honed in on social issues such as international conflict, capitalism, oppression and climate change. While the 2026 theme has yet to be revealed, Israel said that Mercer can expect this year’s show to “bring the non-typical and unexpected to the runway.”
MU Runway hopes to revamp this year's show with enhanced artistic and technical elements. They plan to display over 60 different looks on their models and have a full team of makeup artists, hair dressers, stage crew members and photographers.
“It’s going to be a big event and hopefully with the new castings, we will be able to make it better than ever,” Charlie Minton ‘27, a fashion historian and the club's social media chair, said.
Minton is a first-year member of the executive committee and modeled in last year’s “Threads of Revolution” show.
“Modeling was a lot of fun last year and it really felt like the statements we were making through each look held a lot of power,” Minton said. “I’m truly excited to see how our models express themselves through our theme this year.”
While casting for models is concluded for the show, MU Runway urges those interested in doing hair, makeup, prop-making or running the show to reach out to their executive committee on Instagram.
“Last year, it was primarily up to the models and the exec team to get everything stage-ready, but we want to involve more students behind the scenes to make the show a success,” Israel said.
The exact date and time for the spring semester show has yet to be determined, so there is still time to get involved.
Vice President Sebastian Blanco ‘27 encouraged students and staff to check out MU runway’s Instagram page, where they post weekly updates and fashion-related content. In addition to their popular fashion showcases posted each Wednesday, Blanco said that the club will produce a promotional video for the show using photos from its social media posts earlier this year.
Hannah Mock ‘29 is a communications major at Mercer and is currently a staff writer for The Mercer Cluster. When she’s not at a coffee shop catching up on her studies, she is working on her latest artistic projects or out hiking a new nature trail. Her favorite things to write about include arts and culture, social issues and community accomplishments.
