Tony Awards dress made in Arizona by ASU alum to be worn on red carpet

PHOENIX - The Tony Awards are set for June 16 in New York City, and a dress made right here in Arizona by an Arizona State alum will be making its red carpet debut.

The designer behind the dress had to overcome quite a lot to be where she is now.

Fashion designer and ASU alum, Sarah Abdallah, spent the last several months designing the dress for Arizona’s only Tony Awards voting member, Colleen Jennings-Roggensack.

"This dress is, I think, my favorite creation ever. The top, I call it Canadian smocking," she said.

It wasn’t just the look of the dress, it was the heart and courage of the designer that attracted Jennings-Roggensack to Abdallah's work.

"I have a three-point print that hits me in the gut, in the heart, and stays in my head. That’s exactly what I thought when I saw this dress," Jennings-Roggensack said.

Jennings-Roggensack is the VP of cultural affairs at ASU.

"I knew I was getting a designer who could overcome challenges. I knew I was getting a designer that was smart and strong," she said.

In December 2021, then 21-year-old Abdallah suffered a stroke. It left her unable to talk, walk or sew for quite a while.

"It was terrifying. I wouldn’t want my worst enemy to go through what I went through," she said.

Then, in her senior year of college, she had to learn many things all over again.

"I had to relearn everything, not just sewing. Everything in fashion I had to relearn," she said.

Back then, she never knew if she’d get better. 

Two years later, she's walking, talking  and designing for the Tony Awards. That’s an experience she says she’ll never take for granted.

"It feels great for my life to go from that to this amazing and I couldn’t be more thankful," Abdallah said.