Photos and Story by Amber Centinel / Contributing Writer
With the arrival of Black History Month, students, faculty and family rejoiced in a night celebrating African American fashion and culture during the Color of the Runway Fashion Show at the Student Union Ballroom on Friday.
The event, sponsored by the Black Student Union and NAACP, began with what MTSU senior and Color of the Runway model Avid McAfee said “is very vibey, dark (and) vampire-ish.” But that was only the beginning.
A hard-to-not-dance-to music video compilation of famous African American performers, including Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Missy Elliot, hinted to audiences the upcoming themes for each segment of the show. The models, all MTSU students, took to the runway and modeled different fashion moments in African American culture.
Ashia T. Hampton, the program director for the Color of the Runway Fashion Show and MTSU alumna, said this year’s show explored more opportunities to proudly showcase African-American culture. From sporty styles to street fashion and glittering evening wear, the event presented more than just a singular theme.
“We wanted to expose the different elements within black culture, and we’re doing so through music, through graphics, through film and, of course, fashion,” Hampton said.
McAfee, a second-year model of the fashion show, donned a velvety purple long-sleeve shirt and smiled among a sea of models and hairstylists busily preparing for the show.
“(The event) is to empower black people and people of color … We all should unite (and) fight for one cause,” he said.
Junior Ryan Mabry, a guest at the fashion show, applauded the event for representing African American culture in a way that media often do not.
“It’s important for black people to come together in a positive space and engage in activities that uplift ourselves and our history and to show off our black bodies and beauties that are often overlooked in the media and pop culture,” he said.
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