March 13, 2026

Ferris State’s Student Fashion Alliance’s ‘Cosmic Couture’ features a collaboration of campus and community groups

Ferris State University’s Student Fashion Alliance’s ninth annual event, “Cosmic Couture” reflects a collaboration with university students and other groups for a celebration of creativity.

The event is set for Friday, March 27, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the David L. Eisler Center Ballrooms, 805 Campus Drive.

This opportunity will allow for a cosmic reality to come alive through custom garments, live performance art, and immersive visuals.

“The idea for this year’s fashion show came together when my Vice President Kya Cerbrun and I began planning last summer, and we explored many possible themes and concepts before finally landing on ‘Cosmic Couture’,” said Cervonte' Plair, president of the Student Fashion Alliance. “Both our perspectives on these events compliment each other, as she tends to focus on the technical and branding aspects… while I focus more on the visual experience.

The Student Fashion Alliance is a Ferris State Student Organization, and this year’s show features collaboration with six organizations, including Fashion Studies students from the Pamella Roland DeVos School of Fashion at Ferris State’s Kendall College of Art and Design.

“Our goal is to create a unique experience that students would be excited to attend or participate in, while also giving prospective students a glimpse of the kind of engaging events Ferris offers in the Big Rapids community,” Plair said.

Plair was highly motivated to have the SFA go beyond its creative boundaries and separate this year’s show from the traditional campus fashion event. With access to new resources that include a full LED runway stage, Plair and Cerbrun realized they could tap into additional opportunities.

The two connected with the Fashion Studies program located at KCAD’s Grand Rapids location, further intertwining the uniqueness of KCAD into the Big Rapids campus.

“We had never collaborated with them before. I reached out with a proposal to partner with them to design custom garments specifically for our theme, and they enthusiastically agreed,” Plair said.

The Cosmic Couture fashion show is now being recognized by the SFA as one of the most collaborative efforts the group has organized.

In addition to KCAD, it is also partnering with the Campus Programming Board, Entertainment Unlimited, Ferris State Student Government, the Office of Multicultural Student Services, and an external organization, Disability Advocates. It is supported by student activity fees.

“Through this partnership, we will also highlight adaptive fashion by showcasing styles worn by individuals with different disabilities,” Plair said. “This is the first time SFA has collaborated with six organizations on a single event… making it a truly unique experience for our campus community.”

Plair, who is also the vice president of Programming for Entertainment Unlimited, knows events like this aren’t necessarily about checking off certain milestones. Instead, most of the effort goes towards creating an impactful experience for the models and attendees.

In years past, the SFA executive board typically handled most of the responsibilities related to any event. Plair said SFA adviser Kavaris Sims encouraged the board to broaden its approach to allow for more student involvement.

“It’s important for students to get involved in events like this because it provides valuable hands-on experience in event production and collaboration. … As a result, we reorganized SFA into four committees,” Plair said. “This structure allows more students to contribute, gain leadership experience, and develop skills in areas such as marketing, design, production, and teamwork.”

The restructured group includes the Event Committee, which manages production elements such as staging, backstage coordination, and decorations. The Marketing Committee handles promotion and outreach for the show. The Creative Committee focuses on the visual design and aesthetic elements of the event.

Finally, the Fashion Committee works directly with models, assists with clothing selection, and helps coordinate our collaboration with KCAD.

As Plair noted, the group guides itself through its motto “uniting students’ voices through style and vision.” That mentality encourages growth not only leads to more opportunities for those directly involved, but better experiences for attendees witnessing the fruit of the labor.

“For spectators, the show offers a one-of-a-kind experience. It is a fashion event entirely planned and produced by students that aims to look and feel both authentic and professional. From the custom garments to the LED runway and the immersive cosmic theme, we hope the audience will feel like they are stepping into something truly memorable,” Plair said.

The Student Fashion Alliance is always open to opportunities to collaborate, partner, and bring students together through creative experiences like this. Anyone interested in supporting or collaborating with the SFA can contact them through their social media pages.