Success for Spring Inspiration Fashion Show

On Saturday, 22 April, one of the largest annual student events was held in Jönköping, the Spring Inspiration Fashion Show. The show is Scandinavia's largest student-run fashion show. It is organized by students within Jönköping International Business School's (JIBS) student association and involves students from the other schools at Jönköping University (JU) as well.

Anticipation was in the air when the doors to Elmia opened on Saturday evening. And no one was disappointed when the crackling show started, and the models entered the 22-meter catwalk. This year marked the 26th Spring Inspiration and the theme was “Above and Beyond.” It reflected the ambition to do your best, exceed expectations, and dare to step outside your comfort zone.

During the evening's two-hour-long fashion show, clothes from 17 stores and designers were showcased. In addition, Spring Inspiration's design team had designed their own collection, which was also displayed on the catwalk. The gala evening ended with an after-party for participants and the approximately 600 visitors who enjoyed the show.

“The evening was absolutely magical! I walked on clouds after the show. The feeling that what you had worked so hard for so long was really appreciated by others was fantastic,” says Robin Axelsson, one of the project leaders for the event.

The interest in Spring Inspiration has been great. 110 people applied to be a model; of these, 41 were eventually selected. The work to find partners for the event has also exceeded expectations, largely thanks to the hard work of the event's sponsorship and design team.

Yearly recurring project

Every year, a project group consisting of participants from the different schools at JU works on the project. The work in the group involves everything from marketing the event, recruiting models, finding venues, partners, and artists, and keeping the fashion show together when it is time for the catwalk. This year, the project has been led by project managers Emilia Thorstensson and Robin Axelsson, both second-year students of the Marketing Management programme at JIBS. They never hesitated to become project managers, even if it involves a lot of work and takes up a lot of time.

“I got a taste of it when I was part of the team last year and I wanted to be involved again but in a different role. Being responsible for the project’s direction, guiding the team, and seeing everyone grow with the task has been super fun. The year as a project manager has taught me what responsibility really means. But also, how important it is to dare to delegate. Even if you are a perfectionist like me,” says Robin Axelsson.

Robin and Emilia recommend other JU students take part in upcoming Spring Inspiration editions.

“Take the chance. We have had a fantastic, fun, and developing year. Evaluating your skills on a student project like this is also a useful experience for your future working life. And if this student project does not suit you, there are many others. Student life is an important part of the community and atmosphere at the university,” concluded Emilia and Robin.

This year’s project group consisted of 23 people from JIBS and the School of Education and Communication (HLK), divided into seven different areas of responsibility.