Last night, the University of Louisville’s Student Activities Board presented their thirteenth annual International Fashion Show. For those unfamiliar with the event, the Student Activities Board puts on a show every year that includes fashion from boutiques and a variety of cultures, as well as cultural performances from student organizations on campus. For the last twelve years, this event has been a hit and has drawn in crowds of people from the community and the campus; this year was not exception! The thirteenth annual International Fashion Show sold out shortly after opening their doors to the crowd.
As a student at the University of Louisville, I have attended this show for the last four years. I originally went because a handful of my friends worked on the event with the Student Activities Board; the years following that had me going because it was the number one event that I looked forward to all year. The common multipurpose room that students usually use to eat their lunch in is transformed into a place that is elegant and bright with a runway that stands center of it all. This year’s theme, “Across the Seven Seas” embraced a nautical theme to take the audience on a trip to experience a multitude of cultures.
The show featured a variety of local vendors that many Louisvillians would be able to recognize, such as Blush Boutique, Hey Tiger, General Eccentric and many more! Along with the local boutiques, student organizations presented their own fashion as well, such was that case for the African Student Union, Indian Student Association, Vietnamese Student Association, etc. While I love shopping at the boutiques as much as the next girl, I was blown away with the beautiful fashion that came from all the different cultures; they were bright, colorful, and you could see the confidence and pride shine in the models wearing them. Not only did they use the student organizations’ fashion, they also had a variety of Louisville Athletes represent different countries as well.
Along with the amazing fashions of both Louisville and the world, the show also hosted a variety of performances that kept the audience captivated. The Louisville Lion Dancers are always a favorite at the event as they perform the traditional Chinese lion dance, but unlike the other performances, they take it off the stage and weave their way through the crowd. Dancing was a popular performance for the show, including two Cardinal K-Pop Teams celebrating the rise in Korean K-Pop, Shades of Movement hip hop, Hawaiian hula dance, Tahitian Dance and Ruric Amari Dance. The final performance of the night has been my favorite performance every single year. The Cardinal Bhangra celebrates the traditional Indian Bhangra dance form, while mixing it with modern music as well. This performance gets better every year and proves to be an impressive group of men and women.
The International Fashion Show did not form without a purpose. According to the Facebook page, it began in 2001 to alleviate tensions between the various cultures after September 11th. Since then, it has carried on the purpose of promoting diversity in the community by showcasing the fashion and performances of these different cultures. These student models and student organizations work with the Student Activities Board to do just that: promote and share their cultures. This show is the most engaging and informative event and I continue to look forward to it even after I graduate from the University. If you missed this year’s show, don’t miss next year’s!
