We are so excited for this year’s Her Universe Fashion Show, a celebration of all things geek fashion! This year’s theme focusing on DC properties is especially exciting — will we see designs for the BatFam? Justice League Couture? We can’t wait to find out! Read on for a roundup of who’s on the judges panel, what fans can expect, and more important details below!

The ultimate celebration of fandom, fashion and creativity is bringing together an epic lineup of industry experts for San Diego Comic-Con as Her Universe reveals the judging panel for “The Her Universe Fashion Show 2026 Presented by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products.” The panel will evaluate this year’s 20 competing designers on Thursday, July 23 at 6:00 p.m. PT in the Manchester Grand Hyatt’s Harbor Ballroom during the 12th annual fan-favorite event.

Joining the judges’ table to evaluate this year’s one-of-a-kind DC-inspired fashion creations are:

  • Marc Malkin, award-winning and Emmy-nominated journalist and Variety’s Senior Editor, Culture and Events, returns to the judges’ table following his 2025 appearance. With more than three decades of experience covering entertainment across broadcast, print and digital media, Malkin is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable entertainment journalists and red carpet correspondents.
  • Symantha Perrera, Fashion Design Director: BoxLunch, Her Universe and Wholesale, joins the panel to bring her extensive fashion industry expertise and passion for fandom-focused design. With experience spanning high fashion design, slow fashion and mass production, Perrera creates apparel that connects fans to the cultural stories and characters they love while building community through fashion.
  • Frankey Smith “Fantastic Frankey”, co-host of DC Studios Showcase, joins the panel as a media personality, host, producer and pop culture commentator who has built a dedicated audience celebrating comics, film, television, anime, tabletop gaming and fandom culture. As the host of DC Studios’ official video podcast, where DC meets pop culture, Smith connects with DC Studios talent, creators and some of the biggest fans across the DC universe. Through DC Studios Showcase, she has interviewed entertainment leaders and fan-favorite talent including James Gunn, Jim Lee, Milly Alcock and Jason Momoa, bringing her signature enthusiasm, insight and authenticity to conversations with the people shaping today’s fandom landscape.

The judging lineup will also include 2025 Her Universe Fashion Show winners Lynleigh Sato (Judges’ Winner) and Caitlin Beards (Audience Winner), who return to the show in a new role as first-time judges after experiencing the competition as designers. (You can learn more about last year’s winners, and see clips from last year, right here! )

Inspired exclusively by DC, the 2026 competition challenges designers to transform iconic Super Heroes and Super-Villains and stories into high-fashion couture. The selected finalists will showcase their creations live on the runway, where two winners will be chosen by both an expert panel of judges and the audience fan vote. Winners will receive a cash prize of $2,000 USD and may also be offered the opportunity to design a fashion collection with Her Universe.

“The Her Universe Fashion Show has always been about celebrating the creativity and passion of fans, and this year’s DC theme takes that celebration to an entirely new level,” said Jillian Wendt, VP Marketing, Her Universe and BoxLunch. “Marc, Symantha and Frankey each bring a unique perspective that represents the very best of entertainment, fashion and fandom, while Lynleigh and Caitlin offer invaluable insight as past winners who have experienced this competition firsthand. We are thrilled to have them join us as we celebrate the incredible designers bringing the iconic world of DC to life.”

Fans should follow Her Universe on social media (@heruniverse on IG, X, Facebook and @officialheruniverse on TikTok) and use hashtag #HerUniverseFashionShow for special behind-the-scenes event content.

About Her Universe:
Her Universe is known as the groundbreaking fandom fashion company and lifestyle brand originally founded by Ashley Eckstein in 2010. Her Universe strives to cultivate a fandom-centric community powered by women to be authentically themselves and celebrate what they love by designing quality, fandom-centric, size-inclusive, stylish merchandise. For more information, visit heruniverse.com and follow @heruniverse on Instagram, X, Facebook and @officialheruniverse on TikTok.

About Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products:
Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products (WBDGCP), part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Revenue & Strategy division, extends the company’s powerful portfolio of entertainment brands and franchises into the lives of fans around the world. WBDGCP partners with best-in-class licensees globally on award-winning toy, fashion, home décor and publishing programs inspired by the biggest franchises from Warner Bros.’ film, television, animation, and games studios, HBO, Discovery, DC, Cartoon Network, HGTV, Eurosport, Adult Swim, and more. With innovative global licensing and merchandising programs, retail initiatives, and promotional partnerships, WBDGCP is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.

DC, part of Warner Bros. Discovery, creates iconic characters and enduring stories and is one of the world’s largest publishers of comics and graphic novels.  DC’s creative work entertains audiences of every generation around the world with DC’s stories and characters integrated across Warner Bros. Discovery’s film, television, animation, consumer products, home entertainment, games, and themed experiences divisions, and on the DC Universe Infinite digital comic subscription service.  Learn more at DC.com.