The Geneseo Black Student Union hosted its annual fashion show, Occupy the Runway, on Sunday April 15 in the College Union Ballroom.
After a poetry reading, senior Kisha Laurent, president of BSU, introduced the new BSU executive board members and explained to the audience the theme of this year’s fashion show.
The theme of the show was youth and the power of resistance. The clothing in the fashion show reflected the Occupy movement in the locations of Wall Street, London and Nigeria.
A video of clips depicting Occupy coincided with the runway show while DJ Macbreaker created an upbeat atmosphere with his song selection and remixes.
This year’s fashion line featured Adam & Burch, a New York clothing line and brand by Jay Adam and Michael Burch.
“Shontelle has worn articles from our line during her tour in Europe, and Chris Brown wore one of our jackets during a New York City concert,” Burch said.
Each Occupy movement – London, Wall Street and Nigeria – was designated its own segment in the fashion show.
The London and Wall Street clothing pieces had a fresh take on classic looks with accessories such as gold chains, studs, feathers and jewelry on jeans and jackets. Army-themed pants and jackets also displayed a modern twist with added accessories like hats and sunglasses.
The Nigeria segment included top-and-skirt combinations with patterns of bright colors that helped the models portray the bold emotion of the resistance movement while maintaining their youthful look.
Alley Cat Boutique owner Connie Saffan said that the models had a “here I am – deal with it” attitude that matched the style of clothing.
Several articles of clothing from the fashion show will be available for purchase at Alley Cat on Center Street. Alley Cat also donated various accessories such as black leather gloves for the show.
The funds from the fashion show will go to the nonprofit Building Minds in Sudan. This organization works to provide educational opportunities to villagers in South Sudan.
Laurent said that through building schools Minds in Sudan’s main goal is “to create hope, gender equality and educational opportunities.”