Costume design alumna claims Fan Spotlight Award at Comic-Con

When Maggie Walker heard the theme of this year’s Her Universe Fashion Show, she immediately got to work on a design concept.

Finding inspiration in the DC Comics show Teen Titans Go, the 2019 Central Washington University Theatre Arts graduate decided to highlight Starfire, one of her favorite cartoon characters of all time.

Just being chosen as one of 21 finalists for this summer’s fashion show at San Diego Comic-Con was a tremendous honor, but Walker ended up taking her accomplishment one step further by winning the inaugural Fan Spotlight Award.

“When I found out that the theme of the fashion show was DC Comics, I knew right away that I wanted to do something with Starfire,” said Walker, who specialized in costume design and technology at CWU. “That was one of my favorite shows growing up, and I wanted to pay homage to her.”

She described the winning costume design — a gown called “Starfire and Stardust” — as a “high-fashion geek couture outfit” featuring a corseted body suit with five layers of organza and netting.

When the model, Hazel Tabor, twirled the gown on the runway, the outfit lit up like a galaxy.

“Hazel also wore 6-inch platform shoes and struck some amazing poses for the audience and judges,” Walker said of Tabor, a friend and former student at California State University, Fresno. “They looked so good out there.”

Walker, who had entered three previous Her Universe competitions without advancing to the fashion show, felt it was important to remain true to Starfire’s essence for her contest entry. However, she explained that the outfit was not intended to be a replica of the popular Teen Titans Go character.

“The fashion show guidelines are adamant that the costumes should not be cosplay,” said Walker, who works as a costume shop assistant at Fresno State. “I also wanted to create something that would appeal to all audiences. Starfire is very voluptuous, but I felt like my design should be kid-appropriate.”

By claiming the Fan Spotlight Award, Walker took home a $1,000 cash prize, plus a $250 gift card for the Her Universe online store and another $250 gift card from BoxLunch.

She also saw a rapid increase in her Instagram following, leading her to reconsider her online marketing approach.

“I don’t post very much, but I want to stay engaged with people in the industry,” Walker said. “The fashion show reminded me that’s it’s really fun to build things and share them with other people. When you get to make something pretty for the sake of making something pretty, it can be very freeing.”

The fashion show also gave her an opportunity to polish her technical skills, which she plans to put to work in next year’s Her Universe competition. The theme for the 2027 fashion show will be announced in March, and Walker is already thinking about defending her title.

“It was a lot of work and stress, but I really want to do it again,” she said. “Competitions like this push you in ways you can’t imagine, and the whole experience was pretty wild.”

Walker has experienced a number of ups and downs in her young career, bouncing around to three different states in the first two years after graduation. But with five years under her belt at Fresno State, she believes she is finding her groove.

“All of my experiences leading up to this have made me a really well-rounded designer,” she said. “For the longest time, I was the type of person who would take things one project at a time. But now that I have been in my career for a while, my approach is, ‘what else can I do?’”