At a Glance
- Two Fort Worth high-school seniors turned a summer internship into the official 2024 Fort Worth Stock Show scarf
- Their pennant-themed artwork beat a creative block that had stalled Art Director Amy Myers
- The $75 silk scarf and $50 tie often disappear the first weekend of the show
- Why it matters: Limited-run merch is the rodeo’s must-have souvenir, and this year’s design came from local students who had never visited the event before
The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s most-wanted keepsake-a limited-edition silk scarf-was created by teenagers who didn’t know the rodeo’s history when they started sketching.
From Classroom to Midway
Emilly Castillo and Ederwee Htoo, both seniors at Young Women’s Leadership Academy, arrived at the show’s marketing office last summer as graphic-arts interns. Their assignment was open-ended: pitch visuals for the annual scarf and tie.
Art Director Amy Myers had overseen every scarf since the series began in 2013. She was stuck. “Sometimes designing one every year can get a little cumbersome, kind of come up with fresh ideas,” she admitted.
The students filled the gap. Castillo said Myers told them to “get your ideas out there, whatever, whenever you have the time.” They riffed on college pennants-symbols already on their minds as they filled out college applications.
Myers spotted a rough sketch in their folder. “I happened to be looking through their little art folder of ideas and saw this design that they had come up with. And I just thought it was really fantastic,” she said.
Pennants Meet Rodeo Icons
The final scarf layers pennant shapes against classic rodeo imagery:
- Bucking horse
- Lariat rope spelling “Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo”
- Cow ear tag
- Hidden icons that reveal themselves on closer look
Myers tightened color placement and proportions, but the concept remains the interns’.
Seeing Their Work in the Wild
Production moved ahead while the teens focused on homework. Weeks later Castillo walked past a merchandise booth. “We saw the boxes, and we saw people repping them, people buying them. We were like, whoa, that design looks really familiar.”
Both students say the moment felt unreal. “We definitely didn’t think it would get to this level. Maybe we’re still in shock,” Castillo laughed.
Htoo added, “I knew our designs were good, but I didn’t think they would actually be used.”
A Crash Course in Rodeo Culture
Neither intern grew up attending the stock show. Through the project they learned about its 129-year heritage and the frenzy around each year’s scarf drop. Limited quantities guarantee sellouts; many collectors line up during opening weekend.
Now the teens count themselves among the rodeo’s marketers. “There’s going to be a lot of pride in that, knowing that we specifically made it, seeing it on an actual person,” Htoo said.
What’s Next
Castillo and Htoo graduate this spring. Both plan to study design in college and can already list “custom silk scarf designer” on their résumés.
The scarf retails for $75 and the matching tie for $50 at official booths throughout the show. Once the stock is gone, no reprints are planned.
