“We’re coming” – TSU’s next generation of fashion avant-gardes
Written by Bradley Clark on May 13, 2023
By Bradley Clark
Texas Southern University’s library rang with laughter, joy, and a sense of style as the Department of English, World Languages, and Philosophy hosted the 2023 LIT Fashion event.
The showcase held on April 21 capped off the Text and Textile Two-Day Symposium and Fashion Show Transdisciplinary Event, which began on the day prior. The conference saw scholars from around the globe come together to present discussions involving knowledge, literature, the media arts, and fashion.
On the first day on April 20, presentations like Beatrice Chagnon’s “Between Schein and Shein: Inhabiting Clothing to Inhabit the World in Ingeborg Bachmann’s Short Story ‘Problems Problems” and Dr. Morolake Dairo’s “Unraveling the Threads of the Biafran War: Costume Analysis in the Movie Half of a Yellow Sun.” were paired alongside performances from students and professional poets, who showed off spoken word selections to present themes of importance within African American representation, media, and the fashion industry.
On April 21, the Department of English, World Languages, and Philosophy at TSU sponsored the 2023 LIT Fashion Event to showcase cutting-edge fashion by professional alumni and student designers.
Michon Benson, the event coordinator, said that having the show was crucial because of the impactful history behind TSU fashion over the years.
“We have over 50 years of history, and as you saw, the majority of the designers here were TSU Alum,” Benson said. “We really wanted to contribute to those alumni and encourage those students who are interested in fashion design to see that they too can go out into the world and do amazing things.”
Benson also spoke about how honoring TSU alumni in the fashion industry was the theme throughout the night. She wants to inspire the upcoming generation of TSU fashion as well.
Houston’s native Chastity Sereal, a fashion designer and entrepreneur known for her literature-inspired fashion and appearance on Project Runway, presented her clothing line and spoke about how much an event of this magnitude meant to her.
“Any time that I’m amongst a bunch of creatives, especially creatives that look like me, to me it gives to the young girl inside of me. Hope to keep going. Hope, because there weren’t a lot of people to look up to that were younger than me in fashion. I really need events like this to continue to happen so we can give the next generation hope.”
– Chasity Sereal
HEB also served as a sponsor because they believe in feeding into the next generation. They donated money to TSU to ensure that black fashion and creativity continue to flourish.
“They were a top-tier sponsor, and we’re going to be using that money to fund scholarships for students,” Benson said.
After the event, Marc Harvey, another leader in the fashion industry, summed up his thoughts on what the world should take away from this display.
“We’re comin. The talent shall not be stifled. The talent shall not be contained anymore.”
– Marc Harvey
