There may not be an official fashion week in Athens, Ohio, but there are plenty of fashion shows.
On Saturday, the Fascinating Alluring Chic Exciting Sensing (F.A.C.E.S.) Modeling Organization is putting on its annual Sibs Weekend fashion show in Baker Theater from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
F.A.C.E.S. is a multicultural-based organization for people of all races, religions, genders, body types and more. F.A.C.E.S. is also the oldest modeling organization on campus and has been hosting fashion shows and more since 1984.
Admission is $5 or $3 if you bring a canned good. In addition to donating canned goods, 10% of proceeds will be donated to charity.
This year, there is a story time theme to the show.
J. Pressley Mcilwain is a freshman psychology and communications major, and he will be playing the prince in the “Cinderella” scene and Romeo in the “Romeo and Juliet” scene.
Despite it being his first semester in F.A.C.E.S., Mcilwain is finding his place within the organization and in the show.
“I'm seeing everybody not only worked so hard, (but also) take me under their wing and not only showing me the ropes in college but building up my own confidence,” he said.
Crystal Odiri is also a freshman in F.A.C.E.S. and is studying production design and technology with a focus on costume design.
It is also Odiri’s first semester with F.A.C.E.S., and she has a role in the “Little Red Riding Hood” scene of the show.
“It's been kind of a lot, but it's been really fun,” she said. “You practice poses and walking and walking to music and all that so it's really fun.”
However, this isn’t like a regular fashion show. On top of the storyline, F.A.C.E.S. has taken a more creative route for their show’s physical part too.
“(In) generic fashion shows they just walk out, pose a couple of times, walk back,” Mcilwain said. “We want to incorporate walking patterns (and) some dance choreography here and there.”
Mylan Foster, a senior studying communications, is the president of F.A.C.E.S. In addition to modeling in the fashion show, Foster also directed the final scene.
Putting on a fashion show is no easy feat, and F.A.C.E.S. has been preparing long in advance.
According to Foster, preparation has included recruiting, practice, music searching and funding from the school. It also involved finding DJs, photographers and fashion brands to collaborate with.
“I would say the hardest thing that goes into it is recruiting,” Foster said. “That's like one of the main roles because you can't have a fashion show without participants.”
For this show, F.A.C.E.S. is collaborating with two different brands: Mouf Worldwide and Current Movement. Both are from Columbus and work as fashion brands.
After months of preparation, showtime is very nearly approaching.
“I think that seeing the whole entire thing come together is the best part about it,” Foster said. “We typically practice in classrooms, and just seeing it all come out on stage with the lights and the music makes it ten times better.”
After many preparations and practices for their production, the members of F.A.C.E.S. have been brought closer together.
“It's kind of like one big family,” Mcilwain said. “The show allows us to express ourselves with our clothes, our looks, our personality.”
One of the main goals of F.A.C.E.S. is to promote inclusivity. Through this show, the organization hopes to spread confidence and positivity to its audience.
“If they're having trouble with their confidence, they can be like, ‘Okay, they're looking confident in doing so in front of 200 plus people, I can look confident in my everyday life too,’” Mcilwain said.
