By Melissa Henderson
The University chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Color People, (NAACP), hosted its first annual fashion show, aiming to raise awareness for the “Invisible Children,” Ugandan youths forced into military service and used as human shields, who were the subjects of a documentary of the same name.
The “swag tent” started at 6 p.m., where guests mingled and conversed in a tent that had tables set up with the many different sponsors, including Apple, MAC Cosmetics, the Student Government Association, the Office of Multicultural and International Student Programs and the University’s Invisible Children group, to name a few.
With a full tent, the show started around 9:15 p.m., with host Fonzworth Bentley, a hip-hop artist, entertainer and fashion designer, who markets his own line of umbrellas.
The show began with University students, modeling to the song “Umbrella” by Rihanna in black dresses and carrying umbrellas. Bentley was hidden by the models in the beginning as he sat on a bench pretending to read a newspaper.
Bentley also complimented the University as having a “very well-manicured campus.”
The fashion show, which was entitled “Fashion through the Years,” encompassing styles ranging from the 1920’s to “the future” displayed by new and up-and-coming designers in the fashion industry, all from New York.
One scene was a remake of the ’60s era, where concern over civil rights and justice in the United States was at a high point, and so was the style. Models wore shirts that read “NAACP” and carried signs that read “Fight the Power” or “No Justice No Peace.” To add more of setting the song “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” by James Brown was playing in the background; the audience was fond of the song selection and sung along.
Along with fashion, many of the behind-the-scenes people were honored for their hard work, including Pascal Ngo, a junior representing the Invisible Children group, and Nicole Wilson, for her contributions to the decorative set design. Honored last was Sean Hutchinson, the current president of NAACP.
Fonzworth Bentley gave his last remarks on the way to his vehicle, saying that the youth these days have “more access to high fashion such as internet resources.”
“By far, [this was] one of the top college fashion shows [he] has done and attended,” Bentley said.
The event raised more than $3,000 for the Invisible Children foundation.