Capes, couture and Comic-Con magic powered by Barco

Every summer, San Diego Comic-Con celebrates the heroes, villains and stories that capture fans’ imaginations. But before the convention floor fills, another fan favourite takes centre stage: the Her Universe Fashion Show, were fandom steps off the page and onto the runway. And all superheroes need their sidekicks. So, as twenty designers transformed iconic DC characters into spectacular couture creations at the 2026 Her Universe Fashion Show, Barco technology worked quietly behind the scenes to help power one of San Diego Comic-Con's most beloved traditions.

Over the years, the Her Universe Fashion Show has evolved into one of Comic-Con's most anticipated traditions. For designers, it's an opportunity to showcase their creativity on one of fandom's biggest stages. For thousands of attendees, it's a celebration of imagination brought to life.

The 2026 edition raised the bar yet again, welcoming a standing-room-only crowd to the Harbor Ballroom at the Manchester Grand Hyatt as designers unveiled original DC-inspired couture creations. This year's production featured live performances, dynamic visual storytelling, interactive set pieces and runway moments that transformed beloved comic book characters into wearable works of art.

Hosted by Her Universe founder Ashley Eckstein and Broadway star Michael James Scott, the evening blended fashion, music, storytelling and immersive visuals into one unforgettable fan experience. 

For technical design and production team AOA, reliability was critical. Every visual element needed to flow seamlessly to maintain the pace and energy of the show.

The Her Universe Fashion Show is far more than a traditional runway event. With live performances, immersive projections, theatrical storytelling, and carefully choreographed transitions, every visual cue needs to happen exactly on time. Any disruption risks breaking the magic for an audience that expects Comic-Con-level spectacle. The production team needed a platform capable of handling a complex, live show environment while maintaining complete reliability from the opening moment to the final winner announcement.

To bring the experience to life, AOA deployed six Barco projectors, including two UDX-4K40 units and four QDX-4K45 projectors, creating a vibrant visual environment throughout the venue. At the heart of the system sat a Barco Encore3 image processing platform, orchestrating the show's content and ensuring every cue landed exactly when intended.

Together, the projection and processing setup enabled the creative team to build an immersive backdrop for the evening's performances and fashion showcases, helping blur the lines between runway show, theatrical production and fan celebration.

While the audience marvelled at the couture creations, superhero transformations and live performances, the Barco technology behind the scenes quietly did its job. With Encore3 providing a stable visual backbone and the QDX projectors creating an immersive canvas for creativity, the team could focus on what mattered most: helping designers, performers and fans experience a little Comic-Con magic.

“The Her Universe Fashion Show moves fast and every moment matters. Encore3 was incredibly stable throughout the entire production, giving us a reliable foundation for the show's complex visual workflow. That's exactly the kind of confidence you want on a live event of this scale," says Jake Taylor, Senior Technical Director at AOA.

Twelve years after its debut, the Her Universe Fashion Show remains one of San Diego Comic-Con's most beloved traditions, celebrating designers who turn their passion for iconic characters into wearable works of art. Behind the creativity, precision technology helped ensure every moment landed exactly as intended. By providing the stability and performance required for a large-scale live production, Barco Encore3 helped keep the spotlight where it belonged: on the designers, performers, and fans who made the evening unforgettable.