Fashion Show History
The Fashion Show is the longest running event of its kind in the Bay Area! It's an opportunity for our community to come together, celebrate our boys, and raise vital funds for Bellarmine's Direct Tuition Assistance Fund and Tuition Endowment.
As one of the main arteries for supporting Tuition Assistance at Bellarmine, the Fashion Show is a reminder of the deep love and commitment that binds our community. By choosing to give to Bellarmine through the Fashion Show, you are keeping our cherished tradition alive and helping ensure that every qualified student can call Bellarmine home.
The Fashion Show has a storied history, with its first iteration held in a backyard garden at a home in the Menlo Park/Atherton area. At that time, Father Wade was a junior at Bellarmine, and the mothers did most of the modeling. The show moved to the Cabana Hotel in Palo Alto a few years later.
In 1979, Father Wade became president of Bellarmine and shortly after, the show relocated again to the Marriott on the Great America Parkway. The following two location stops for the show were the Fairmont in downtown San Jose and the Santa Clara Convention Center. While the location has changed over the years, according to Father Wade, the philosophy of the show has always been the same: mothers organizing and proceeds going towards Bellarmine tuition assistance.
The Fashion Show has evolved and expanded over the years: in the late 80s, a second evening show was added and formal event chairs were introduced. This is also when students became the models, infusing new life into the show. Still today, boys from Bellarmine and girls from local schools are the stars on the runway.
At 80 years old, Father Wade retired from walking the ramp. One of his most memorable moments was when he modeled leather pants; and still today, he laughs as he recalls sitting on the floor to wrestle them on and needing assistance to peel them off. Father Wade remembers that the Fashion Show was and still is about meeting new people, making lasting friendships, and coming together to help Bellarmine in a significant way.
