Fros pointed to the sky, sequins paired with pink latex go-go boots and flowing fabrics that moved with every step lit up the runway at Howard University’s Springfest fashion show.
The show’s “SoulScape” theme was a cultural collage of rhythm, retro and revival where 1970s fashion met Gen Z swag. Held in Cramton Auditorium, the show delivered a two-part visual anthology that celebrated the soul, sound and style of the Black legacy of the ‘70s.
The “Day” segment started with a kaleidoscope of neon greens, bold pinks, metallic cutouts and bright tights as Earth, Wind & Fire and The Emotions’ “Boogie Wonderland” played.
On stage, statement belts cinched, braids swung and bold makeup, glittered like spotlights.
Some models wore denim on denim, and other looks clashed with florals and plaid. A few models flaunted tilted caps, while one model took strides in a floor length bright orange tulle coat and a tight purple latex set.
The audience stood on their feet, waving their fans and cheering.
“It felt very ‘70s, and people were really getting in the groove,” said Morgan Young, a sophomore music therapy major from New York. “The way they walked, the way they presented themselves, it just felt so lived-in.”
Among the atmosphere of music, confident struts and an energetic crowd, Ornella Bamba, a senior health science major from the Bronx, felt the night was reminiscent of disco culture.
“They stuck to the theme all the way through. Like, they really met it,” she said. “And the Soul Train line at the end? Yes, bring it back!”
As the lights dimmed and the music deepened, the “Night” segment draped the auditorium.
Silhouettes with looks that mimicked artists such as Prince, Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston, glided across the stage. Models moonwalked in glittering heels, their side parted afros swaying as they paid homage to the roots of Black glam and groove.
Halter tops and unbuttoned silk shirts sparkled under soft spotlights, while a woman cloaked in a large fur coat strutted with a matching cane.
Wearing heels, nodding to the fluidity and flair of the era, while the final Soul Train line brought everyone to their feet, clapping in sync to Whitney Houston’s “I’m Every Woman.”
The production team, made up entirely of students, poured months of creativity into the show. The runway doubled as a gallery, with vivid Black art hung behind the models.
Each look told a story. A woman in a tight pink top layered with a neon green beaded top with neon combs pierced into her afro mimicked a time-traveling Black Barbie.
“SoulScape is very expressive and art is abstract,” Jubilee Mwasa said, a junior biology major and chemistry minor from Maryland, who was a member of the production team. “We had different pieces from different Black artists that showed how we express ourselves. The lighting made it come alive, it was like watching a canvas walk.”
Behind some of the glam was a backstage reality built on sleepless nights, creativity and Black student leadership.
Adeola Adekola, a sophomore nursing major from P.G. County, Maryland, and Kierra Barnes, a junior psychology major from Brooklyn, New York, co-led the team responsible for the show’s hairstyles.
The looks ranged from sky-high afros to intricate headpieces, all inspired by iconic figures of Black music and culture.
“We wanted to reference iconic music artists and relate it back to the legacy of Soul Train,” Barnes said. “We did a lot of afros and urban styles that reflect soul.”
The duo collaborated with the style and makeup teams to ensure a unified vision, but not without challenges.
“We’ve been working on this for about two months,” said Adekola. “It starts from mood boards and seeing what creatively the hairstylists themselves think and what they are capable of doing.”
Despite limited materials, late-night practices and the mounting stress of finals season, the team kept going.
“[A] client at 6 a.m. until 12 a.m. then you still gotta go to practice and still be a student,” Adekola added. “But at the end of the day, we have to put hair on the stage.”
Their main goal? For all the models to feel confident.
“As a model, you kind of don’t have a say, you’re just there to get dressed,” Barnes said. “So I just wanted everyone to feel confident in what they had on—to walk out in something that made them feel cute.”
For Barnes, the audience reaction was the biggest reward.
“I kept hearing people say, ‘What’s next? What’s next?’ That’s what I wanted. I wanted that excitement,” she said.
Models formed a Soul Train line to close the night. Zaina Stewart, a junior advertising major from Washington state, said it was like each model transformed into a unique character.
“Back then, supermodels were known by name because they were so original. And that’s what we saw tonight,” she said. “It wasn’t just fashion. It was identity.”
That ethos, of art as self, is what tied SoulScape together. Constructing products of art but prioritizing the model, the blank canvas.
“You are the muse,” Mwasa said. “You’ve got to live your truth in whatever way or form that may be, and in that, you are the art.”
The lighting, choreography and musical selections were coordinated with each fashion comment, bringing the concept of soul to life both audibly and visually.
For some, like sophomore Nicole Blenman, a sophomore international business major from Brooklyn, New York, the fashion show offered a moment of reprieve and reflection.
“It’s finals season, people are stressed. People need to unwind and get inspired again,” she said. “This show last year is what inspired me to get on my stuff with the fashion. I really loved it.”
Blenman’s friend, Emily Murray, a sophomore business management major from New Jersey, also enjoyed the show.
“Three words for tonight? Creative. Colorful. Nostalgic. So Black. So beautiful,” Murray said.
Copy edited by Anijah Franklin
