Homecoming week is upon us and the excitement of students, faculty and alumni is in the air. Modista Minority Fashion Group got in the spirit with a Homecoming DIY event Wednesday night.

The event took place in Rockwell Hall where members of Modista gathered around various tables decorating shirts, Modista tote bags, denim and masks for homecoming festivities this upcoming weekend. For inspiration, sheets were provided with step-by-step directions and materials needed for different styles from polka dots to anchors and many more.  

“I actually came today to interact with new people and I also brought jeans and a denim jacket to decorate,” said Todd White, freshman fashion merchandising major.

Modista has done a DIY event in past that focused on decorating denim jeans but this time they switched up the theme.

“Every year we try to do a DIY night, this year we focused on school spirit and homecoming,” said Jowan Cole, senior applied communications major and vice president of Modista Minority Fashion Group. “We have blue and yellow paints for the Homecoming parade and game.”

This is Modista’s sixth year participating in the Homecoming parade, when two Fashion School alumni Kori Fields and Shanetta Dorsey founded the group in 2008, said Kasia Gibbs, senior fashion merchandising major and president of Modista. This group was used to fill a void that minority fashion school students felt in the Fashion School.

“Before students felt that they were not being represented well,” said Cole.

Modista puts on different events to try to combat the lack of community that minority fashion school students may feel as well as helping them gain professional experiences through various events.

“We focus on professional development and making the school fun; we put on DIY events, fashion shows and anything that you can add to your resume,” said Gibbs.

Though Modista was created to cater to minority Fashion School students, this group does not exclude anyone based on ethnicity or major.

“I joined Modista because I saw how they were setting a standard at Kent State,” said Charmaine Gary, sophomore political science major. “They were really reaching out and embracing the students. The meetings are somewhere you can speak your mind and be free.”

Contact Felicia Ssempala at [email protected].