AROUND TOWN: Cultural Fete

Here at Suffolk University, there are many clubs for foreign students. These clubs are usually a way for students to keep in contact with their home country and culture. One of these clubs is the Caribbean Student Network club. The CSN hosts many events, but their main one is the cultural fete event, which includes a fashion show and dancing performances. The show features designers with very simple collections to very extravagant ones. The dance performances were held by a latin group called Passion Latina and Suffolk’s Step-Up team. Both groups wore outfits pertinent to their background; but I have to admit the combination of the women wearing high-low dresses and the men wearing suits of the Latin group.

Name: Fedjina Charles

Role: Vice President of the Caribbean Student Network

College Fashionista: How did the CSN have the idea of having a fashion show?

Fedjina Charles: The fashion show is an annual event hosted by the Caribbean Student Network that began 26 years ago by the founding fathers of the organization. This year we have chosen to use the show as the closure to our Caribbean week, during which we will honor and pay tribute to various aspects of island culture.

CF: Where did you guys find the designers?

FC: Many of the designers have designed for us in the past, so we simply used our past records and called them to see if they would work with us again. They are all mostly local designers with the exception of one designer who is part of Basic Classics Inc. from New York. The new designers are some who reached out to us via social media wanting to be a part of our show.

CF: How did you decide on the categories and the presentation?

FC: We met as a board and decided on a theme for the show; based on the motif we told the designers what we were looking for and they worked within the boundaries of the theme.

CF: What was the objective of the fashion show?

FC: The objective of the show was to celebrate Caribbean culture through art, with the fashion segment and many of the performers that embody the unique differences of each island, but at the end of the day we are all one. Like our motto says “Divided by water, united by culture”.

Learn More: Interested in joining CSN or learning more about it? Check out their Facebook page.