On Thursday, Feb. 27, the Wisconsin Black Student Union hosted its annual fashion show, “Tailoring the Black diaspora: Black Brilliance through the Ages.”
The show’s theme opens the door to Black culture and fashion across multiple eras and makes space for the vastness of the Black diaspora in the U.S., show co-director Ana Garcia said in an Instagram post. Beyond celebrating Black fashion styles, centering the show on Black excellence also comes at a particularly important time in the U.S., show co-director David Simeon said.
“I think just everything that’s going on within our country, specifically within just like highlighting black excellence and like black lives and black … just like fashion and talent overall,” Simeon said.
Show stylists were given four sub-themes to work with — Harlem Renaissance, Icons — outfits in the style of Black icons from the 1980s to early 2000s, — a futuristic 3005 category based on Childish Gambino’s song “3005” and a Black Excellence category, underscoring the theme of the night. Each category had between seven and 12 looks, according to Simeon.
WBSU resource coordinator Alicia Obiakor kicked off the show with a solo performance of Summertime by the Paul Smith Quartet.
Following this, the runway opened first with Harlem Renaissance outfits, followed by Icons.
During intermission, multiple student performances occurred, including a dance set from the University of Wisconsin dance group Vivid to Kiss of Life’s “Igloo,” and two dance sets from Unity Dance Group to songs by Tamara and Tyler the Creator.
The latter half of the fashion show featured futuristic outfits from the 3005 category and models dressed to the nines for the Black Excellence category.
Simeon’s favorite category, 3005, incorporated futuristic elements aimed to inspire audience members to tap into their imagination.
“That’s up for interpretation for people, viewers, everything to think, to know what they think Black fashion will look like in the future,” Simeon said.
In a lull between the 3005 and Black Excellence transition, event organizer Marques Watts offered audience members an opportunity to participate in the show. Attendees stood up, sharing their outfit details with the larger crowd and flaunting their outfits on the runway.
Brendon Noel walked the 3005 and Harlem Renaissance categories and told The Badger Herald about what the future of fashion in the Black cultural context means to him.
Black people still have to continue to fight to express themselves, but the show’s theme also leaves room for models to express themselves as individuals too, Noel said.
He based his 3005 outfit on the video game Assassin’s Creed, selecting long, flowing materials and a cape. He included a sword as an accessory to the outfit. Noel selected only white fabrics for the outfit.
“We’re redefining the word black by wearing all white,” Noel said.
The Harlem Renaissance outfits won the crowd in a voice vote and the judges settled on three winners whose outfits across the eras most impressed them. The judges sought out originality, color and overall cohesion of the outfits, judge Emanuel Tagro said.
