On Friday, Dec. 2, students Kyndall Cole and Jaziyyah Higgins hosted an Urban Outfitters Local Heroes event at Urban Outfitters in Georgetown. This event allowed Howard students to showcase their businesses and talents.
This is one of many efforts Urban Outfitters has made to bridge the gap between them and students across the country. Last year, Urban Outfitters started the HBCU summer class. This opportunity gave HBCU students the exposure and mentorship needed to be successful in the fashion industry.
Both marketing majors, Cole and Higgins, are a part of the Urban Outfitters ambassador program, a selective program that chooses students from their selected universities to represent the brand on their campus. Both individuals, being creative in their respective fields, decided it would be beneficial to bring Howard to a new area and expose the Georgetown community to Black creatives.
“We were inspired to do this event to highlight people in our community. It is called local heroes because we believe these are our local heroes,” Higgins said. “We wanted to mix and mingle with Urban Outfitters and give back to the Howard community by allowing them to showcase their arts and talents.”
At the showcase were three student-owned businesses made from Nadia, Mia’s Good Smells, and FEZEKAWEAR Crochet. Fezeka Barnes is a sophomore supply chain management major from Texarkana, Texas. She is the owner of FEZEKAWEAR Crochet, a luxury crochet company that makes custom pieces.
“The vibe here is giving, and it is just so beautiful,” she said. “It’s beautiful because you see talented young Black creatives, and knowing that these are the people I am on campus with is remarkable.”
Students from Howard also got the opportunity to participate by showcasing their talents on the mic in the middle of Urban Outfitters. There were poets, musical artists, and many more skills.
Allyson Smith, a senior honor political science major from Memphis, Tennessee, is one of the poets who performed at the event on Friday. She believes this is the perfect opportunity to take a break from studying.
“Performing at Urban Outfitters was very very relieving. It was something that I really needed considering this is finals week. I definitely needed a space where I could just be myself and express myself so that’s why I decided to do a piece a little bit more personal to me,” she stated.
“Usually, performers perform what will give them the most snaps. This piece was about family and the things I love to do and it just made me feel more peace with myself considering this like a heck of time finals that we’re having.”
Cole and Higgins said this is not the last time they will be hosting an Urban Outfitters Local Heroes event and that they look forward to the next one.
Copy edited by Alana Matthew
