20th annual OBU fashion show brings more than 900 in attendance
The 20th annual Organization for Black Unity fashion show displayed themes from four of their most popular, previous shows: Zodiac, Le Voyage, Seven Deadly Sins and Dawn of a New Era.
Over 900 people were in attendance at OBU’s fashion show in Central Michigan University’s Plachta Auditorium on Saturday night. All of the models and designers in the show were CMU fashion students.
In the Zodiac theme, models dressed in all white and denim. They then strut the runway portraying their zodiac sign with their signature walk, music and expressions.
For the Le Voyage portion, the models donned fashion from California, Miami, Detroit and New York. The New York models wore mink fur coats, Timberland boots and strutted to music by Jay-Z and The Notorious B.I.G.
The Seven Deadly Sins portion of the show displayed themes of gluttony, lust and sloth. For sloth, models wore sweatpants and sweatshirts paired with a pair of booties or high heels.
Lastly, the Dawn of a New Era sections portrayed fashion from 90s African American, African and Caribbean cultures.
“My favorite scene was the African outfits. They were handmade by one student's mother in Nigeria,” said Venue Director Ngosa Pepala.
“We promote black unity through freedom of expression,” said Pepala.
OBU was created because many black CMU students felt “out of the loop." Soon after, they organized a fashion show that became a tradition for many years to come.
Photos by CM Life staff photographer Drew Travis:
OBU’s director, Ypsilanti senior Lorrynda Walthall, checks tickets at the door of their 2020 Classic after party Saturday, Feb. 29, at Bucks Run.
