A New Generation of Stylish Minds Walk the Runway at Fashion Week El Paseo
Think Together students from Desert Hot Springs High School (DHSHS) recently saw their designs come to life on the runway at Fashion Week El Paseo, one of the West Coast’s largest fashion events.
Think Together was the benefiting charity for the Instituto Marangoni Miami’s fashion show evening on March 17, marking the second consecutive year DHSHS students have participated in the event.
For over a month, a small group of students from DHSHS’s Fashion II class sketched, pinned, sewed and cut their way to a perfect design. Among them was Aubrey, a senior returning for her second year, now as president of the DHSHS Fashion Club, leading her peers in exploring fashion beyond the school day.
“I’m very excited to once again show off an outfit I helped design. It was great collaborating with my peers; everyone had their own role,” said Aubrey. “Thank you to Think Together for this amazing opportunity. Because of this project, we were able to create a fashion club at my school last year.”
Instituto Marangoni Miami’s theme inspired this year’s student design, “#We Say, Moda!”, a fresh take on the future of style. The DHSHS students’ look featured asymmetrical cuts, bold accents and layered patterns, reflecting their vision of what’s next in fashion.
Before the show, students got a behind-the-scenes look at the production, watching models rehearse, observing last-minute touch-ups and taking in lineup boards as the final details came together. They also participated in a Q&A with Fashion Week education sponsor Jordan Schnitzer and director Susan Stein, gaining insight into careers in the industry.
For junior Tehya, who conceptualized the sketch, the experience was both validating and inspiring.
“An opportunity like the one Think Together is providing is important because it shows students like me that our interests can be pursued in the future and there are adults who care about our passions, too,” said Tehya. “They want to display our work on a high level. Especially being from underprivileged communities and not having many of these opportunities, it is cool to say ‘wow, I can do something really amazing and it will get a bit of a spotlight.’”
As the lights dimmed and the runway came to life, students watched from the front row of the Instituto Marangoni Miami show, fully immersed in the moment.
“This year is extra special,” said Think Together Site Program Manager Fiona Burns. “Students are more prepared, more curious and more invested in presenting themselves professionally. A big takeaway I want for the students from this project is patience. The whole process from beginning to end is teaching them to work hard towards their goal, and the result will be that much more rewarding.”
To round out the evening, students commemorated the experience with a group photo on the runway alongside other students from across the Coachella Valley, capturing a moment they won’t soon forget.
Think Together Marketing Manager Katy Dennis, who led cross-departmental collaboration to solidify Think Together’s presence at the event, was in awe of how students presented themselves at the event.
“It was my first time supporting and attending the event, and it was so fulfilling to witness,” said Katy. “The students were so eager to learn and fully embrace the experience, even dressing up and mirroring that passion for style that they poured into their original design.”
While this chapter has wrapped up, the students’ work continues. They are now preparing for their school fashion show in April, where they’ll debut rodeo-themed designs.
Building on this momentum, Think Together and DHSHS are exploring ways to expand the fashion club into a summer program, potentially opening it to local middle school students as well.
Experiences like Fashion Week El Paseo are just one way Think Together helps students explore their passions and expand their sense of what’s possible.
Curious to see what our students did last year? Get a behind-the-scenes look here and read our 2025 recap in the Desert Sun.
Since 2020, Think Together, a division of Think Education, has partnered with Palm Springs Unified School District to deliver innovative academic programs to TK-12 students in the afterschool space to help them learn. grow and thrive.
To learn more about Think Education, visit https://thinkeducation.org.
