Despite the chilly weather, hundreds of people gathered on the SDFC fields in Tempe to watch the annual Afroworld Fashion Show on Nov. 16. At promptly 5 p.m., guests were welcomed between velvet ropes to sit and enjoy the runway show.
The Afroworld event followed the triumph of the African Student Association at ASU's Fake African Wedding in September, which garnered millions of views on TikTok.
Tami Balogun, a freshman studying business law, is a member of the Black African Coalition who helped to coordinate the event. She helped with the organization of the event and the preparation that goes along with it, including many fittings, trainings and rehearsals.
"(A goal was) to represent where I come from and make it known to the community because I feel like we're such a minority, so (we're) making everybody understand where we come from, and the beauty of the fashion that comes through the African culture," Tami Balogun said.
The show included authentic food, spoken word poetry and multiple dance performances, but the main event of the evening was the showcase of 10 unique designers. Each artist was highlighted as the announcers described the outfit ensembles and the models strutted down the runway to cheers and delighted applause.
Banke Balogun, a designer representing Simply Italian LLC — a brand that was showcased during the fashion show — said she believes in appreciating and rocking traditional African attire. Some designs included jogger sets, Ankara tops and shorts, and dresses with symbolic Nigerian graphics in their collection.
"There's something about African wears, it's just unique," Balogun said. "Uniqueness is the name, it's not something you see everywhere. It's not a common kind of outfit, so we come out really different; we come out really unique and beautiful."
An important facet of the event was its focus on sustainability. The show was based on showing off cultural diversity while also emphasizing eco-friendly fashion that can endure in the modern world. Anisa Botros, a senior studying psychology, attended the event to represent the Sudanese American Association.
"African clothing items are still being handmade in comparison to the fashion that we wear in the U.S. — a lot of it's produced in large factories," Botros said. "I think newer designers and artists have a lot to learn from the traditional ways of producing clothing."
Sophia Smith, a sophomore studying parks, recreation and sports management, was attracted to the engagement and community that was brought by showcasing African-American culture and fashion.
"I just love being with my people, especially at a PWI (predominantly white institution). There's not a lot that we have going on, and when we do have stuff going on, I try to show up as much as I can to show my support," Smith said. "I just love the culture and the people."
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The event attracted students from across ASU campuses. Kaiya King, a sophomore studying nursing in downtown Phoenix, attended the Afroworld Fashion Show for the second year in a row. This year, she also got to cheer on a friend who was modeling on the runway. King saw the show as an opportunity to represent her culture in her own way.
"In times like this where some people don't really agree too much with African American culture, it's stuff like this that gives us a chance to speak our voice through stuff such as food (and) clothing," King said. "It’s just a way for us to speak our truth."
Edited by Senna James, Sophia Braccio, Tiya Talwar and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at kagore1@asu.edu and follow @kategore_17 on X.
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