Creativity met the catwalk at Carleton University’s Black Student Alliance (BSA) fashion show on March 28.
With music in the air, guests cheered on models strutting down the runway in unique outfits that blended style, culture and bold self-expression.
This year’s theme, “Beyond the Monolith,” sought to break through societal rules and values that are resistant to change. The theme encouraged diversity as opposed to the uniformity of a “monolith.”
Constance Dieudonne, a BSA event co-ordinator, said the fashion show aimed to capture the “essence and culture” of Black communities through clothing and style, while also bringing people together.
“These events are important, because it’s culture — culture that people don’t necessarily talk about unless you are in a small group or with your friends,” she said. “By putting that out there and saying that it’s OK to talk about your culture with the rest of your community, [it] bonds and brings us together.”
BSA president Patrick Ene said the event aimed to showcase “the creativity and expressive nature of Black students.”
“As we all wear clothes in our own various styles, fashion is something that connects all of us and is also a deep-rooted part of Black culture and identity,” Ene wrote in an Instagram message to the Charlatan.
The show featured 10 distinct categories including: classic man, coquette, we mean business, street smart, baddie central, Black western, ALT. extravaganza, wicked sexy, for the culture and sponsored brands, all of which were modeled with the help of stylists to represent unique and diverse perspectives.
Many categories highlighted clothing as a visual expression of culture and identity, blending today’s fashion with styles rooted in the heritage of African traditions.
“There are so many ways we can choose to express ourselves and there doesn’t need to be a box we fit in,” Ene said. “In the show, the range of categories shows this best.”
Munachi Ononeze, a model in the show, said fashion serves as a powerful form of creative expression, allowing her to share who she is through clothing, accessories and hairstyles.
“Creative expression is really just showing a part of yourself that other people don’t really get to see all the time,” she said. “It’s a part of my identity and who I am as a person. I feel like if I didn’t have creative expression, I wouldn’t have a means of being.”
Another artist included in the show was poet Opemua Edelifo, who shared poems about straying away from stereotypes and confining social norms.
“We tend to get confined to specific boxes as Black people, so it’s very important that we step out of that,” he said to the audience. “Someone I met once gave me a box full of nonsense, and it took me years to realize that this box is not mine to fit. The definitions were never mine, not one bit.”
Throughout the poem, Edelifo emphasized his pride in his Black identity, encompassing the show’s theme of embracing self-expression and breaking free from social constraints.
“I’m black gold, no compromise, no politics. And black gold, I can tell you here, is simply more than a monolith,” he said.
Ononeze, who has passion for design and styling, said seeing stylists and models working together to create and share their expressive ideas makes her “feel at home.”
“Being able to see other people create and seeing people style each other, makes me feel welcome in a community and space where I know that I can thrive,” she said.
This year, Dieudonne said the fashion show was very diverse with “a lot of bridge-making” that brought happiness to everyone involved.
“I just love seeing people have a smile on their face and enjoy events that are here to make them enjoy it,” she said.
Featured image by Simon McKeown/The Charlatan.
