At New York Fashion Week, there is a celebration of resilience, empowerment and community – and e.l.f. Beauty is a proud partner.
Activist and Rise founder Amanda Nguyen is leading a movement to give voice, platform and literal runway to women who both demand and deserve to be seen: survivors and allies of sexual assault. Her fashion show, which just celebrated its fifth annual iteration, fully flips the narrative on the question that too many survivors are asked: What were you wearing?”
At the Rise Survivor Fashion Show, advocacy becomes action.
e.l.f. seeks fellow bold disruptors with a kind heart—and our partnership with Nguyen reflects exactly that. Together, we stand up for what we believe in: beauty should fuel ownership of our own stories, amplify visibility, and create access for all. Powered by our zero-distance mindset and a shared commitment to human rights and self-expression, we’re not just showing up—we’re helping to reshape the rules.
The Survivor Fashion Show took place at Forbes on Fifth in New York City. Runway looks were made possible by designer partners including Peter Do, 3.1 Phillip Lim, The Hundreds, Prabal Gurung, La DoubleJ, Joe Ando Hirsh, Vestiaire Collective, Tanya Taylor, Chloe Dao, Susan Fang, Ganit Goldstein, and Grover Rad—each collaborating with Rise to outfit models in pieces that honored personal style, comfort and agency. Each look celebrated survivor visibility.
The evening began with powerful poetry by Sian Proctor — artist, poet, and astronaut; Amanda Rose — poet and educator; and Emi Mahmoud — UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and World Champion Poet, and a musical performance from MILCK.
This moment built on a multi-faceted and ongoing partnership with Nguyen to elevate survivors and inspire the next generation of empowered women. Our work together began with an episode in our documentary-style, short-film series “Show Yourse.l.f.” Nguyen’s episode spotlighted her survivor- rights advocacy, legislative work, and her personal expansion into action across culture and science. In April 2025, aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard (NS-31) with Space for Humanity, the first all-female commercial mission took flight and Nguyen became the first Vietnamese woman to reach space.
e.l.f. created a signature makeup look, including Holy Hydration! Thirst Burst Drops, Power Grip Primer, Glow Reviver Melting Lip Balm, Incredi-curl Mascara, Perfect 10 Eyeshadow Palette and Camo Liquid Blush On show day, our pro-artist team was on site to manage quick backstage refreshes and keep every model camera-ready for their moment under the lights. Each participant left with a curated take-home kit to extend the glow.
We’re continuing to support Nguyen on her personal mission through Space for Humanity’s Citizen
Astronaut program: sharing the Overview Effect – where we see more of our similarities than differences - with students, fueling women-in-STEM programming, and inspiring communities with survivor-led storytelling.
“Amanda is changing the world with fearless disruption and one of the kindest hearts I’ve ever seen. She is firmly holding the pen to write her story her way, gracefully turning every adversity into inspiration,” said Kory Marchisotto, Chief Marketing Officer, e.l.f. Beauty. “One of the things we love most about Amanda is her ability to dream and her encouragement to everyone at the show, watching the show or in her orbit to do the same. We’re proud to stand with her to make the world brighter for every eye, lip and face.”
“When I fight for survivors’ rights or reach for the stars, I’m reminded that no dream is too big,” said Nguyen. “Together with e.l.f., we’re ensuring the next generation knows no limits.”
To learn more or get involved, visit Rise and explore Amanda’s episode of Show Your(s)e.l.f