Sadie Jones
A&E Editor
The International Club welcomed guests to the 2014 CU Fashion Week themed “Metamorphosis.” The fashion show — made up of models from MacArthur Middle School, Cameron University and volunteers throughout the Lawton community — provided the chance for models to strut down the stage platform of the CU Theatre one last time. At 7:30 p.m. March 8, the Final CU Fashion Week began.
MacArthur Middle School students from Deborah McNally’s art class entered the stage one by one and showcased their personal designer. Each student strutted to the middle of the stage. Some students smiled to the audience while others kept their mouth formed in a straight line as they turned, walked down the platform, twirled and paused for pictures and then exited the stage as the next model took the spotlight.
After each model from MacArthur exited the stage, Emcee of the event CU student Eloise Herbert stood behind the podium, welcomed guests in the audience, thanked the CU International Club and then introduced the next segment of the fashion show — swimwear.
Immediately, the spotlights spun on the stage and the song “We Ready For the Road” filled the theatre. One by one, models marched down the stage sporting exotic swimwear. The theme appeared to be bright pinks, yellows, reds and blues for the bathing suit portion of the evening.
The second segment — Urhban Limited of Savelle’s Design — took place after swimwear. Herbert provided background information about the designer and her designs.
“Sandra Bussue—owner and Caribbean fashion designer at Urhban Limited focuses on the beauty of life,” Herbert said. “Her inspirations for the collection are the young females who travel through the stages of life and eventually finds the woman she was designed to be.”
With that, the song “International Love” marked the beginning of the segment and signaled the models to begin their performance. The clothing items featured floral prints and exotic designs.
The third segment — Mommy Made Boutique — targeted mothers and their children. The boutique specializes in custom hair bows, tutus and t-shirts. CU alumna Tameitria Jenkins designed the outfits. Mommy Made Boutique is located on West Gore Boulevard.
After the third segment, Herbert introduced a new designer to the audience.
“Lovella Benjamin is an aspiring fashion designer from the Federation of St-Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean,” Herbert said. “She started designing at age 11 and was taught how to sew. Tonight, Lovella’s designs were created with yarn.”
Five models entered one after another to the beat of the song “Glamorous.” Each model wore Benjamin’s designs — some of which inspired by the colors of her island’s flag: green, red and black.
For the next segment the fashion show brought to the stage CU pride and presented to the audience the spirit wear portion of the evening. Recycled CU t-shirts made most of the designs and creations. Merita Mitchell did the transformations of the t-shirts.
“The designs come from my love for Cameron University and its ever evolving structure,” Mitchell said.
Another designer whose creations were featured in the show was Neila Ettienne who graduated from CU with a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts. Her five-piece collection was inspired by her love for the arts, Caribbean beaches and vibrant colors. Five models displayed the exotic pieces of the Nettienne Collection.
For the segment that followed, the models conveyed to the audience the vital relationship between the fashion world of black dress and white dress. The bold accessories worn by the models fur enhanced the clothing.
The final two segments of the fashion show displayed two very opposite styles of clothing.
One segment titled Kiwie Dan Couture — designed to be comfortable and easy to wear—was made with cotton linen and knit material. The final segment brought glitz and glamour to the stage with its title —The Opera.
This year marked the CU International Club’s third year of sponsoring the event. Geno Vazquez, International Club President and IT major, said the fashion show serves several purposes.
“The fashion show is meant to broadcast different designers from different parts of the world,” Vazquez said. “The funds that are collected when people buy tickets to come to the show help fund the scholarship that is only for International students.