The Cultural Inclusion Council (CIC) will be holding their third annual fashion show in mid-April.
The fashion show, which is spearheaded by the Black Student Alliance (BSA) but put on by the entire CIC, showcases various outfits and wear by members of each alliance. The CIC consists of the Latino Student Alliance (LSA), Black Student Alliance (BSA), Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) and Ho’olokahi Polynesian Alliance (HPA).
In addition, the newly-revived Native American Student Alliance and International Student Alliance are part of the CIC.
“I’m excited for the fashion show. Normally that’s been a part of Unity Week, but the one reason why we didn’t throw it in there is mainly for the HPA students because they are going to be doing their luau,” Coordinator of Inclusivity and Student Mentor Specialists Ta’Lor Jackson said.
The move was motivated to give the HPA time to prepare for the separate events.
“This year they’re thinking about an overarching theme for the fashion show,” Jackson said.
Each alliance will have their own theme for the show, in addition to the broader one. The BSA picked Soul Train as their theme for this upcoming show, while [the] NASA will be going with the theme of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, to bring awareness to the issue.
“We just think about what we want, what will be relevant, and what would be educational,” Director of the BSA Mahlet Mamo said when asked about how they pick the themes. “We want [the] BSA to be a place where people can come and feel safe and heard and seen, but we also want to educate people so people who might not be a part of Black culture can come and learn about Black culture. And so that’s usually the idea behind our fashion show.”
“The fashion show is something that is slowly becoming a favorite on campus,” CIC Director Aaron Reed said. “Last year seemed like it lasted 15 minutes, like it’s just so fun that everybody was so disappointed that it ended.”
The show filled the ballroom last year, and normally lasts a few hours.
