Condoms ranging in colors from blue, yellow, orange, pink and purple were the chosen materials for the first annual Condom Couture Fashion Show in the KSC Ballroom, presented by FACE AIDS and Kent Interhall Council (KIC) as part of Sex Week.

Student designers created outfits to help raise money and awareness for FACE AIDS, an organization dedicated to fighting the HIV and AIDS pandemic.

The evening began with a couple songs performed by the Kent Clarks, Kent State’s a cappella group and spoken word by Laurent Che, sophomore marketing major.

Designers spent hours and days and used a lot of condoms creating their designs, which ranged from dresses to jackets.

“It’s crazy to see what each person can come up with when we started with the same medium,” said Samantha Serafino, a sophomore fashion design major.

Several of the designers said in their commentary that the most difficult part of the process was de-lubricating the condoms and figuring out a way to get them to stay.

“[We are] bringing awareness to the cause and we’re putting our creativity out there,” said Cree Pippen, sophomore fashion design major. “[We are] making history.”

Pippen along with her friend Simone Jackson-Richards, sophomore pre-fashion design and merchandising major, teamed up and created two designs, taking first place for one of them.

Second place was Vanessa Reese, freshman fashion merchandising major, and in third place was Minh Phuong, freshman fashion design major.

Thomas Ream, president of FACE AIDS, said he was excited about the outcome of the event.

“[The] dresses were more than I could ever hope for,” Ream said. “I was expecting condoms super-glued to T-shirts. What our fashion students can do blows my mind.”

With a live Twitter feed playing in the background, free condoms were distributed, as well as information about free HIV testing.

Bill Bolden, educational chair of FACE AIDS, said he didn’t want to weigh down the fun atmosphere.

“[I] wanted to keep it light, but not leave them without information,” Bolden said.

All proceeds from the night will go to help HIV and AIDS victims in Rwanda, and Ream hopes this collaboration between KIC and FACE AIDS will continue after he graduates in May.

“I would like to see it become a [Sex Week] tradition like the drag show,” Ream said.

Contact Kirsten Bowers at [email protected].