Fashion For Freedom; a repeat success

On Jan. 20, 2016 Fashion For Freedom had its second annual charity fundraiser in the basement of Market Place.

Each year the club picks a charity to donate the ticket proceeds to, this year’s charity was the Make-A-Wish Foundation. As part of the show, guest speaker Brittany Lynne shared her testimony of how the Make-A-Wish Foundation impacted the life of her young cousin before his passing.

“It was really powerful to hear about how Make-A-Wish can impact someone’s life,” said Jonie Ngo, an attendee, “I’m looking forward to next year.”

According to their Facebook page, “Fashion for Freedom is a new endeavour that strives to provide students at Laurier Brantford with the opportunity to express various artistic talents.”

As part of the fashion show, the club partnered with many local businesses and Laurier organizations to provide clothing, hairdressing, makeup and support for the show. These included The Purple Puddle, the Laurier Students’ Union, the South Asian Alliance, Laurier Brantford Athletics and Recreation, The Closet and more.

“Working with local businesses is really great to see what’s out there and get students involved,” said Devynn Elligson, this year’s director of Fashion For Freedom.

As part of the show, Laurier’s Dance team, KAOS, performed a number of group dances ranging from contemporary, to hip-hop, to tap.

“It was a great experience for an amazing cause,” said Marena Sili, a KAOS dancer.

“It wasn’t until we started getting into it that we realized everything that goes into putting on a fashion show,” said Nicole-Claire Viola, this year’s co-director.

Students interested in being involved with next year’s show are encouraged to keep their eyes and ears open for volunteer opportunities in September.

“It’s really rewarding for us to just see all the people come together and have the models on stage. Once it all it done it looks really great and it feels good,” said Elligson.

Elligson and Viola also encourage feedback on the event saying, “We’re always looking for more ways to change it up —bigger and better.”

Check out our video recap of the event below!