ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – A Denim Day Fashion Show at Winthrop University took the Gold Award in a recent National Association of Student Personnel Administrators competition.
The category involved programs concerning campus security, crisis management, student conduct and community standards, violence prevention and related topics.
The Denim Day Fashion Show: From Runway to Reality event was held in mid-April 2025 in conjunction with Sexual Assault Awareness Month and attracted 400+ people. Sponsored by the Winthrop Fashion Club, the event challenged victim-blaming narratives and promoted messages of consent, empowerment, and survivor support.
It featured students showcasing custom or upcycled denim pieces, styled to make powerful
statements about awareness and advocacy.
Event a Mix of Fashion, Education and Creativity
Staff organizers Collins Cornwell, director of student conduct, and Itali Jackson, program coordinator for student advocacy and trauma support, said that through a mix of fashion, education, and creativity, the event engaged the campus community in a meaningful conversation through style and self-expression.
“The Denim Day Fashion Show reminded me that healing, advocacy, and creativity can exist in the same space. This event demonstrated how students, faculty, and staff can come together to spark meaningful dialogue, raise awareness, and create a space where students feel supported and empowered,” Cornwell said. “It was more than a show…it became a movement.”
Jackson said that Denim Day is about more than wearing jeans. “It is a national movement rooted in education, accountability, and survivor support. Through the Denim Day Fashion Show, we engaged students in a creative and approachable way while grounding the experience in factual information and open dialogue about sexual violence prevention,” she said.
Other contributors were Bry-Anne Jones, director of counseling services; Charles Yearta, chief of campus police; Jennifer Disney, political science professor and department chair; and Kerby McKinnell, sexual violence advocate at Safe Passage Inc.
Cornwell and Jackson will present information about the event through a poster presentation at the 2026 NASPA Annual Conference March 7-11 in Kansas City.
For more information, contact Cornwell at cornwellc@winthrop.edu or Jackson at jacksoni@winthrop.edu.
