For Fashion’s Conscience, a student-run Syracuse University organization that promotes underrepresented or misrepresented groups and individuals in the fashion industry, Fashion Week is about much more than clothes.

FC is celebrating its annual Fashion Week by showcasing a variety of guest speakers. It will conclude Saturday with a fashion show and concert featuring rap artist Wale.

For one week since 2009, FC has shed light on an array of topics and issues facing the fashion industry and has celebrated the week’s end with its annual fashion show and concert. Fashion Week 2011, which began April 18, includes speakers who highlight topics like maintaining healthy appearances and the male presence in the fashion industry.

‘We’ve had guest speakers throughout the week, people who haven’t really been heard about but are doing great things in the fashion industry,’ said Letecha Dixon, president of FC.

The socially conscious group will donate the proceeds from its finale event — 90210: Classic Hollywood — to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. They are two organizations FC members feel cover a wide variety of areas that benefit the community, said Dixon, a senior sociology and public relations major.

Of the week’s events, the concert and fashion show have garnered the most attention, almost selling out Goldstein Auditorium, Dixon said. Formed in 2000, FC has hosted an annual fashion show since 2005, but it was not until 2007 that the group decided to include performance artists with the show. 

Just as in traditional shows, FC’s fashion show takes place with audience members seated on the sidelines of the runway. But as the concert begins, they rush to the runway-turned-stage to get close to the performance, Dixon said. Artists such as Ne-Yo, Trey Songz and Fabolous have performed at FC’s shows in the past.

Dixon believes Wale’s performance this year will be just as successful as past events because his musical work greatly exemplifies FC’s values and objectives.

‘Empowering people — that’s something that he’s really all about, and that’s something we really wanted to portray in our show,’ Dixon said. ‘He’s always thinking of different social issues in his lyrics, so we felt like that matched what we are about.’

As one of the three other male members in FC, junior social work major De’Marcus Woods knows firsthand that FC continues to encourage a representation of all types of people in the fashion world. Woods feels lucky to represent a male perspective in a mostly female group.

‘Fashion is something that not a lot of guys are into in terms of being part of an organization,’ Woods said. ‘It’s amazing how we can be that voice for the male side, and the girls really embrace our perspective.’  

Woods will be one of the hosts for the fashion show, a role that allows him to engage with the audience on behalf of FC.

‘It’s very personal for me, when I’m hosting, to have an insight into what FC is doing on campus and how we can all play a role in it,’ Woods said. ‘It’s really amazing.’

Senior public relations major and FC vice president Tuso Boothe believes Wale’s performance will bring a great energy to the already energized fashion show that precedes Wale’s performance. As the event’s coordinator, Boothe said the fashion show has attracted an equal amount of attention and planning as the concert.

The original model casting call attracted more than 100 prospective models who were narrowed down to approximately 60 male and female models, most of whom are SU students, Boothe said. FC’s mission to promote underrepresented groups in the fashion industry is evident in its model selection, she said.

‘We don’t care about your height, we don’t care about your weight, we don’t care about your skin color, it doesn’t matter,’ Boothe said. ‘You come in, you can walk, you’re in.’

By featuring not only SU student designers but also up-and-coming professional designers from the city of Syracuse, New York City and Puerto Rico, the group can continue its mission of diversity in the fashion world, Dixon said.

‘Within our organization, we’re all different shapes and sizes and from different socio-economic classes and ethnicities,’ Boothe said. ‘We never really think about those things, but the fashion industry does. With this event, I hope people can come together and really just enjoy fashion and music.’

dmodiama@syr.edu

Published on April 20, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Danielle: dmodiama@syr.edu | @daniemarieodie