The Pan African Union at California State University, Dominguez Hills recently held its eighth annual benefit fashion show in the ballroom of Locker Student Union. The show was student run and sponsored by groups such as Project Pit, Toro Productions, and Associated Students Inc. Outside vendors such as Cynique Fashion Jewelry, Shoe Traffic, Douglass Designs Unlimited, and Pretty Black Boutique also showed support for the fashion show and erected small vending tables with merchandise available for purchase throughout the show. The show also featured celebrity hostess Camilla Poindexter, current model and prominent star in the television show Bad Girls Club. Guest judges for the show included local fashion duo Norris Ford and Quentin Thrash (NORRISxTHRASH).
The theme for the show was “Giving Back to Fashion.” The event aimed to showcase the imaginative fashion ideas of young Black people and to increase awareness for two charities in the local community: the Union Rescue Mission and the Boys & Girls Club of Watts. Proceeds from ticket sales, as well as donated articles of clothing, were donated to these two charities.
“The Pan African Fashion Show is about representing a Black aesthetic,” says Associate Professor and Chair of Africana Studies, Salim Faraji. “Our Black aesthetic is our concept of what is beautiful and what is appealing. And it is also a way of bringing the campus community together to empower our students.”
Many of the designers and models in the show were current students of the university, but did not necessarily know each prior to the event. Pan African Union President Nathan Marzett (who participated as a model in the show) saw this as an opportunity to unite those on campus with the similar interests, and give the students a chance to showcase their imaginative ideas to the public.
The outfits being modeled ranged from clean-cut business attire to new-age edgy and revolutionary; suits, dresses, sweats, and swimwear were all on display as the models walked the runway.
Poindexter did a spectacular job hosting the show as she along with student disc jockey DJ Nerd kept the crowd involved. The two picked spectators to participate in a runway challenge, fashion trivia quiz, and an unexpected dance battle that provided plenty of laughs.
The Pan African Union successfully brought their community together in a fun and family-friendly event that really celebrated the true beauty of fashion, and the brilliant and creative minds of young African American adults.
