Love is Fashionable

On Friday, November 18th I attended a fashion show at Weber State University. I went with my friends Julia and Jordan from my media writing class for an assignment we had been given. We had to find something newsworthy going on in the community and write a story about it.

The show was put on by an organization called STAND. STAND is an anti-genocide coalition and Weber State has it's own chapter of the organization. The goal for the event was to take the proceeds and donate them to victims of genocide in Somalia. Along with the fashion show, there was a silent art auction in the foyer before, during, and after the fashion show. WSU students and alumni hosted the event, and the clothing modeled in the show was provided by local business owners.

Slavy Caralle owns a cute little clothing boutique on 25th street in Ogden. I have shopped there before so I was excited to hear that she was helping out with this great cause. At the show, we got to talk to her and learn about her history. She was a fugitive in the former country of Yugoslavia. Once she came to America she knew she wanted to stay connected to her roots and help people facing trials in any possible way. She was great! She was so friendly and willing to share her story and it made the event even more personal when we learned about her past.

Josh Kamp, from North Ogden, donated items for the models to wear on the runway from his clothing business, Aequitas. Kamp screen-prints t-shirts, hoodies, and cardigans for men and women. The business was started to promote equality, which went perfectly with the purpose event. Kamp and his business partner had a table set up outside the ballroom where attendants could purchase clothing from his line. He also had a really great promotion going on and he donated 10% of the proceeds from that night and for the following month to send with the money going to Somalia genocide victims.

Here are some pictures from the event:

Models on the runway...
One of the lovely models from the show.
Slavy Caralle (in green) and some of the models wearing clothes from her boutique.
Cameron Morgan, (STAND-WSU founder) Slavy Caralle, and Zach Stickney (STAND-WSU president).
Models getting their groove on after the show.

Overall, the event was super fun and it was great to be a part of something that was going to help with a charitable cause. I bought my cute husband a t-shirt from Aequitas so I got to be a part of the event and donate as well :)

If you want more information on STAND or learn how to get involved, visit WSU's Community Involvement Website: http://www.weber.edu/communityinvolvement