106 & Hair: Hair and Fashion Show

Lights! Camera! Action! I see fashion everywhere as I step into the ballroom where the tabling event showcasing student-run businesses and art is located. When I walked into the room, people were setting their tables and the smell of perfume brushed past my face. I saw hair businesses that specialized in braids, financial corporations, and businesses for apparel. There were many black artists as well, showing off their latest works. R&B music played loudly to set the atmosphere. My personal favorite is “It Won’t Stop” by Sevyn Streeter featuring Chris Brown. Looking around at the first part of this event, it highlighted black excellence among the students at the University of North Texas. This part of the event was exciting, but it was not the main event.

Because I loved the idea of this event, I asked one of the event coordinators, Kendrian Collins, about how he came up with the show’s theme. He said, “We wanted to do something outside the box. Something you never seen or heard before, and something that ties back into blackness.” I think this event was very beneficial to the black community here at UNT. It allowed business owners the opportunity to network their products and skills. I spoke to many people at this event. To name a few, I spoke to Chloe Durham and Omni Stanton, who are both hairdressers that specialize in braids. Who I found most intriguing me was Azah Jones, the creator of “For the Culture Art Shop.” She had beautiful designer clothing that was Afrocentric and showcased the African American culture. It’s very important that UNT gave black students the opportunity to show their skills to express African American culture because we often do not get the chance. Showing black culture helps educate those who aren’t from African descent to understand our culture from our eyes.

Once the tabling event was over, we transitioned to the hair and fashion show. Before the fashion show started, I ran into the coordinator of the fashion show, my mentor, Evyn Green. She said, “Basically, the layout that you see, I did that. I picked the models, and the designers. I put the whole thing together.” She continued to tell me about her inspiration for fashion design. “I’ve loved fashion since I was at a young age. For the Black Student Union, I’m the only merchandising major, and I’ve had experience working in a fashion show.”

The fashion show was crowded with black students from all walks of life. The hairstyles every student wore catered to who we are as a people. The hair show was in the form of a presentation given by the owner, Amber Miranda, and natural hairstylist Shannon Pierre, from “Curl Suite Natural Hair.” They educated the audience on how to care for their hair and know their hair type. Miranda stated, “Black hairstyles originated back in the 1400s. It represents who we are as African Americans. Black hair reflects Black history.” That comment touched me. I feel that black hair is a crown. After the hair presentation, the fashion show started. I didn’t know what to expect, but the show was remarkable in every way. The models owned the stage and knew how to strut. How I could tell the models knew what they were doing was by how they interacted with the audience. Some would smile or do an extra turn swinging their hair. They showed off their outfits with confidence. The crowd went crazy when certain models would pose in the middle of the stage. I liked how diverse this fashion show was in gender and body size. You don’t see that often at a fashion show.

In closing, after attending the 106 & Hair Fashion event hosted by UNT Black Student Union, I found it very informative. I learned about businesses in the Denton area, I was educated about my hair type, and I attended a good fashion show. I also learned that my hair has different textures in certain spots. Overall, my hair is 4a, which means it’s curly and has low density. I like to see black people my age expresses themselves through art, fashion, and hair. That’s what the whole event showed—being proud of your hair and what you wear. I like that the Black Student Union here at UNT is paying attention to what the black community needs. Offering us information on how to take care of ourselves and allowing us to come together as a whole community and have fun.