Media Advisory: 'Flourish' Fashion & Food Showcase Set for 6 p.m., April 3, 2025 in Miami Gardens

Leading Florida fashion designers, celebrity chefs, 700-plus guests attend St. Thomas University's signature spring event. Students will create "McDCouture" from repurposed McDonald's packaging.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla., March 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Over 700 foodies and fashionistas will soon devour creative cuisine from regional restaurants, sip Cuban craft brews, and watch models don leading Florida designers' curated collections and "McDCouture" – fast-food fashion made by college student designers.

Who
Cuban-American designer Yas González and Project Runway Season 17 winner Jhoan Sebastian Grey will headline St. Thomas University's fourth annual Fashion & Food Showcase: Flourish. The fashion show will also include The House of Suits and couture designer Sharon Osp.

Sasha Perea, Commissioner of Fashion, Arts and Events for Washington D.C. and Miss District of Columbia USA 2021, will host the event. DJ Manuela Vibes will provide music.

The Walk Collective's professional models will strut a runway near food tents featuring haute cuisine and homestyle Florida favorites from more than a dozen Florida restaurants.

Featured culinary guests include celebrity Chef Richard Ingraham, Chef Kenny Tang, Paella y Olé Catering, Lorna's Caribbean & American Grille, Sysco, seafood wholesaler Netuno USA, Texas Roadhouse, Jackson Bros. Ice Cream, Sodexo and the cutlery and cookware maker Zwilling.

Key sponsors of the Fashion and Food Showcase include McDonald's; E.C. Management Corp., a large family-owned and operated South Florida McDonald's franchisee; the family of Jorge L. Rico, co-founding partner of MBF Healthcare Partners, L.P. and the Rico family; the Marile & Jorge Luis Lopez, Esq. Family Foundation; and La Tropical Beer.

STU's Culinary Arts, Tourism & Hospitality Management program students will also create a special tasting display, including preparing gourmet dishes, from oxtail tacos with fried plantains and cilantro lime sauce to curried chicken empanadas with mango salsa and an edible garden.

STU promotes sponsors throughout the event and with university social media platforms that tallied more than 4 million impressions in 2024. As STU's signature spring event, the Fashion and Food Showcase's reach extends to 700-plus attendees, 7,660 students, 808 faculty, staff, and adjuncts in the campus community, and 31,573 alumni.

What
Flourish is St. Thomas University's fourth annual fashion and food showcase. It is the university's signature spring semester event. Regular tickets cost $50, while $100 VIP passes provide guests with access to several full open bars, prime seats, special mingling areas, and other perks.

More than 700 Florida foodies and fashionistas will devour creative cuisine from South Florida restaurants, sip Cuban craft brews, and watch models don leading Florida designers' curated collections.

Professional models will walk the runway for a large fashion show. St. Thomas University will create "McDCouture" – fast-food fashion made from repurposed McDonald's supplies – as one of six collections in the event's fashion show.

Media can attend the event at no charge. Tickets are available via the "Flourish" Fashion and Food Showcase sponsor and ticket page. Local businesses, foundations, and individuals can join current sponsors for the Fashion and Food Showcase, including McDonald's, the family of Jorge L. Rico, co-founding partner of MBF Healthcare Partners, L.P., the Marile & Jorge Luis Lopez, Esq. Family Foundation and La Tropical Beer.

When
6 p.m. to 10 p.m., April 3, 2025.

Where
The courtyard of the Gus Machado College of Business on St. Thomas University's campus at 16401 NW 37th Ave., Miami Gardens, FL 33054.

Why
Event proceeds fund overseas training and experiential learning opportunities for Fashion Merchandising and Design students and scholarships for the university's Culinary Arts, Tourism & Hospitality Management department. Nearly 100 students gain valuable experiential learning by organizing, promoting, and running the event.

The event's floral "Flourish" theme symbolizes the growth and vitality of STU and its food and fashion programs during challenging times for academia. STU, a Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami-affiliated university, is thriving as America's higher education institutions increasingly consolidate, end programs, and even close.

How to get more information

Media Contact: Dan Axelrod | St. Thomas University | [email protected] | 305.474.2418

About St. Thomas University
St. Thomas University (STU) is one of the South's premier Catholic universities. It is a private, nonprofit institution committed to fostering students' academic and professional success and helping them become ethical leaders in the global community. Rich with cultural and international diversity, STU is a Miami Archdiocesan university, the only archdiocesan university in Florida, and one of just 11 nationwide. STU offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degree programs online and on the university's beautiful Miami Gardens via its College of Nursing, College of Health Sciences & Technology, Benjamin L. Crump College of Law, Gus Machado College of Business, and Biscayne College for Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. As of spring 2025, STU served 7,660 undergraduate, graduate, and dual enrollment students, a 78% increase since President David A. Armstrong, J.D., took office in the fall of 2018. STU is completing $123 million in improvements, its biggest expansion since its 1961 founding, including adding 400,000 square feet of new facilities. Among other objectives, President Armstrong's new "Pursue Excellence" strategic plan seeks to build a new 99,000-square-foot STEM and nursing building, expand the Benjamin L. Crump College of Law, and construct new athletic facilities.

SOURCE St. Thomas University