The U.S. premier of America's Next Top Model and Project Runaway, intensified public interest in the fashion industry resulting in an increased number of students enrolling in fashion programs. Many programs offer a student fashion show, which allows them to 1) differentiate their program from their competitors, 2) inspire prospective fashion students, and 3) provide a platform for industry people to recruit designers.The purpose of this study was to understand the specific attendance rationale of the 2011 student fashion audience at one large university in the West Coast of the U.S.From the 1000 person audience 124 survey volunteers were found to be family members, friends, current students, prospective students, and industry professionals. The majority stated their attendance rationale was that they wanted to 1) be entertained, 2) see friends' designs, and/or 3) evaluate the quality of student work. Additionally, the exit survey indicated that the show generally satisfied participants' initial stated purpose for attendance. This detailed feedback is a first step in future research to improve the benefits of this event such as how to provide increased contact/follow-up between students and industry following the show and/or increased program visibility.