Fashion And Fandom Talks With The 2024 Her Universe Fashion Show Audience Winner Candice Miller
Image | Brian M. Sims
“ Be yourself and be genuine. And it’s so subjective, the whole process. You’re never going to be able to guess what the people who select the designs you’re looking for. So just be as authentic as possible and do what you love.”
The 10th Annual Her Universe Fashion Show was another incredible opportunity for fashion lovers to experience one-of-a-kind “geek couture” on the runway. Presented by Mattel, the 2024 show kicked off San Diego Comic-Con with a standing-room-only crowd cheering on. Twenty-five designers showcased their designs throughout the night, each inspired by iconic pop culture franchises and fandoms.
The creativity and craftsmanship on display throughout the evening was truly a treat to experience, and a testament to the power of the imagination and talent of all the designers competing this year. Candice Miller’s “Warrior Princess of Dune” design was this year’s Audience Winner, and yes - if you’re looking at photos of the gown and you think some of that that armor looks like it’s made out of yarn you’re not wrong.
Inspired by the armor worn by the characters in Dune — particularly the costumes worn by Florence Pugh’s character, Princess Irulan in Dune 2 and the sandworms of Arrakis, Miller used her mastery of fiber arts to create this stunning look. I first met Candice at the 2016 Her Universe Fashion Show, where I spotted her waiting in line to get into the show wearing an Ahsoka Tano headpiece she had crocheted. As someone who “dabbles” in crochet myself (emphasis on the word “dabbles”), I was really taken aback by her skill and creativity. We chatted for a few minutes and connected on Instagram. So I was really excited to see one of her crocheted designs on the runway a few years later when she competed for the first time in 2018.
Image: IG @candicedunlapmiller
Miller’s 2024 winning design took about 154 hours to make, blending knitted armor with 6,000 knitted scales to create a truly unforgettable look. I had a chance to talk to Candice after the show about her experience this year, some of the challenges she faced in the construction process, and advice she has for aspiring designers.
Fashion and Fandom: Congratulations, Candice! What has it been like for you since the show?
Miller: Not a lot of sleep, a lot of running around, a lot of posing for pictures. Yeah, I don't think it's it's really hit me yet. I think I need to get a good night's sleep, and then then I'll process basically.
Fashion and Fandom: This isn't the first time that you've been in the Her Universe Fashion Show you were also in the 2018 show. Is that correct?
Miller: Yes.
Fashion and Fandom: What prompted you to submit again this year?
Miller: I've been submitting. I submitted every year except last year. I just kind of took a break to see if I wanted to keep doing it. And I I almost didn't submit this year, just because I was kind of like, well, you know, what am I trying to prove to myself? I've gotten into it before, but, yeah, I just started getting some really good ideas, even before they, you know, announced that Mattel was sponsoring it. So I was like, Well, I'm just gonna enter, no matter who the sponsor is, or no matter what the topic is, and see if I get in.
Image: (IG) @candicedunlapmiller
Fashion and Fandom: So what was the inspiration behind this year's design?
Miller: This year was my design was based on Dune, so it's called “Warrior Princess of Dune”, and it's based on the armor that the Princess Irulan wears. So Florence Pugh’s character as well as sand worms have armor as well. So I just kind of mesh those two concepts together and made it into crochet and knitting.
Fashion and Fandom: It's incredible. I know not everybody's going to get a chance to see it close up, and all of you designers are on such a tight turnaround once you find out that you're going to be in the show. What was the construction process like for you?
Miller: A lot of it was trying to figure out which yarn would work the best? I ended up ordering a lot of international yarn. So you have to order a lot and make sure you get the right colors, and just do a lot of kind of trial and error ordering. So a lot of like the hat yarn is Brazilian yarn, the most of the skirt yarn is either from Denmark or Turkey. So it's sometimes cheaper, sometimes more expensive, but it was more about, can I get the sparkle that I want? Can I get the shine? Can I get it to behave, you know, the fiber, essentially, so like you’re shopping for fabric. But, I mean, it was kind of immediate once I got in. I was kind of like casually looking beforehand, but I kind of had an idea of what I would use if I got in. So it was kind of like pre work, and then just went for it.
Fashion and Fandom: All the different textures are just incredible. It's amazing. And how many of the scales did you use? Do you even know?
Miller: 6000. So there's small scales on the top, and then there's medium scales. It's a mixture of metal and holographic plastic. So I've got holographic silver on the sides, and then there are panels of holographic black on the back.
Images: Fashion and Fandom
Fashion and Fandom: The scales are all hand-placed?
Miller: Yeah, you knit with them like you would knit with sequins or beads. So it's just like a stitch. It's every other stitch.
Fashion and Fandom: That must be heavy! How heavy is it?
Miller: The skirt is about eight pounds, and the top is about two, and the hat is 13.
Fashion and Fandom: What did it feel like when you heard your name announced as the Audience Winner?
Image: Mark Edwards
Miller: I did not expect that. It was mostly just shock and surprise. I had been hearing really like people would come up to me backstage and be like, ‘Everyone was cheering. Everyone reacted really well to your video’, and I was like, sitting on the floor trying not to hyperventilate before I went out, because I was getting really hot. So it was just, it was just complete shock and surprise. So I was not expecting that.
Fashion and Fandom: Well, if it's like every other year, Hot Topic is probably already putting you and Wes to work
Miller: :Later today, yeah, after we get through this round of press. They always tell us to stay the whole day Friday, so we can get some work in already. So looking forward to seeing what that's like some
Fashion and Fandom: What has the Her Universe Fashion Show community been like for you since you've been involved,
Miller: I made a lot of friends through it, especially, like, especially from the 2018 show. I was friends with pretty much the three winners. And so they, you know, won, they moved on. And I was like, Oh, I'm still friends with you, but now, what do I do? So I got to know more people through that. But yeah, it's really just the friends. I mean, we talk to each other almost every day. So yeah, it's more just having, you know, geeky people to talk to, which is very cool.
Fashion and Fandom: What advice would you give somebody who's thinking about submitting next year?
Miller: Just enter what you want to enter. Be yourself and be genuine. And it's so subjective, the whole process. You're never going to be able to guess what the people who select the designs you're looking for. So just be as authentic as possible and do what you love.
Fashion and Fandom: It's stunning. It really is. Congratulations, and I'm excited to see your collection when it comes out!
Miller: I’m excited to find out what it is. Thanks so much!
Image: Fashion and Fandom
I wasn’t planning to post video of the interview because I didn’t have the right set-up for good audio/video quality. But it was such a treat talking to Candice I couldn’t resist. If you’d like to watch the video you can find it below! Big congratulations to the entire Her Universe team for another amazing show!
