SFU Students are taking to the catwalk to fight racial intolerance with a fashion show about “Strength in Diversity” next week.
The fourth-annual SFU Fashion Week aims at celebrating Canada’s multiculturalism by showcasing designers and models from a range of immigrant and refugee backgrounds.
University Fashion Week was founded in 2013 by Kayode Fatoba (below, with event organizers), a graduate from the School of Health Science of Simon Fraser University, with the vision of building a platform to expand the Canadian fashion scene and the participation of students.
“Canada is not immune to the racism currently fracturing the U.S.,” said Fatoba. “Just a couple of weeks ago, Concordia University in Montreal received a bomb threat targeting Muslim students.
On Day 1 of the three-day event, a designer panel will take place March 29 from 5-8:30 p.m. at the SFU Surrey Campus, #250, 13450 102 Ave.
Days 2 and 3 will take place with events at the SFU Burnaby Campus and SFU Segal Building (Vancouver), respectively.
In addition to a runway show at SFU’s Surrey campus, the event will include presentations from local activists and artists on how they are using fashion to express their identities as Canadians and immigrants at the SFU Burnaby campus and an after-event party at the Surrey campus.
“What I feel sets this event apart from other fashion shows is that we aren’t looking for one specific definition of beauty in our models but rather people of all shapes, colours, ethnicity, and gender,” said creative director and SFU student Yzobel Biron.
Fatoba said that his inspiration in making the event is his own story migrating to Canada.
Fatoba moved from Nigeria to Toronto’s Jane-Finch neighbourhood, home to the city’s highest concentration of immigrants and refugees, at the age of eight.
“There was a lot of poverty and violence where I lived, but there was also a lot of people working to make life better for themselves and the rest of Canada.”
For more information, visit sfufashionweek.ca or Facebook at facebook.com/events/629016993952416
Tickets can be purchased at http://bit.ly/2nJRWrH
