For many, fashion is sometimes thought of as expensive, eccentric, or simply not meant for everyday wear. But the people behind SFU Fashion Week hope to revolutionize the way we think about fashion through their 3-day event.
Currently in its third season, SFU Fashion Week (SFUXFW) was originally created by Kayode Fatoba, an SFU student. Fatoba works with a team of students to bring the event to SFU to make fashion more meaningful and accessible to all students. The Peak spoke to Pooja Patel, SFUXFW’s Creative Director, about what students can expect from this year’s Fashion Week.
“[SFU’s Fashion Week’s] philosophy is to create university fashion culture, as well as to showcase the creative and artistic talents of students through self-expression,” Patel said. “Fashion is not just clothes, but a way of self-expression, a way of presenting one’s self.”
This year’s event will be expanding beyond Burnaby, with each of its days taking place at one of the three campuses. Day one will take place at Burnaby campus and will be a networking event, in which students can meet members of the fashion industry. There will be a panel like discussion in which students who are interested in finding out what the fashion industry is like can pose questions to professionals and get different perspectives. There will also be a social afterwards for students to network with professionals as well as other like-minded individuals.
Day two will be hosted at the Surrey campus, and will focus on a particular social issue that is prevalent in the fashion industry. Dubbed “social awareness day” by Patel, this year’s social issue will focus on heightism, or height discrimination. There will be a keynote speaker from the fashion industry telling their personal story and helping students to gain insight on the issue. As well, Patel hopes that the social awareness aspect of the day will serve as an initiative to bring that awareness to students, not just those who are thinking about stepping into the fashion industry but also students who may not be aware of the certain social issues that occur behind the smiling faces of models.
SFUXFW wraps up on day three at the Vancouver campus with a full blown fashion show. The show will feature local brands, such as Broken Halo, Chantz, Self Hired Lifestyle Co., and others, as well as local models styled by these designers, and some SFU students will be taking the runway in various fashions. As well, there will also be live entertainment throughout the duration of the show by local acts such as a performance by SpaceH, dance by Bobo the Robo, and live art by Jace Kim.
If you ever wondered what it would feel like to be present at an event to the likes of New York Fashion Week, then make sure you check out the third annual SFU Fashion Week, happening from March 30 to April 1.
