Fashion for Freedom put on their third annual showcase on Fri. Jan. 26 at Market Square. Students came together for a night of talent, style, and entertainment, all while supporting a great cause. This year’s proceeds went to the Why Not Brantford Youth Centre.
Doors opened at 6pm, after hours of preparation by executives and student volunteers. The show consisted of a runway where models could show off their clothing and featured other performances by talented groups of students and members of the Brantford community.
The Fashion for Freedom club on campus was created three years ago by a Laurier student by the name of Dran Ngo. The goal was to create a show to highlight the talents of various Laurier students, as well as, members of the Brantford community, while raising both money and awareness for charities. This year’s co-presidents, Katie Calverley and Karlee Cockburn played a major role in the success of the event, in addition to the rest of the executive team.
“I am beyond amazed at how much progression has been made and how they seem to only get better as the years go,” said Sai Gnanaharan, a floor executive for the show. “It is honestly such an amazing initiative, and I am so honoured to have been able to witness it from the beginning until now.” Sai, a club member since the very beginning of Fashion for Freedom, was in charge of ensuring things ran smoothly the night of the show and everyone was where they needed to be.
Each year, the show has featured clothing from various local shops in Brantford, benefiting both the retailers and students as retailers are able to show off their product while students are able to learn about new businesses they may not have heard about before.
In previous years, the club has raised money for the Canadian Cancer Society and the Make a Wish Foundation. The Why Not Brantford Youth Centre, the recipient of this year’s proceeds, is a local organization that supports at-risk youth who are engaging in destructive behaviour and suffering from personal struggles including drug and alcohol addictions, homelessness, poverty, and poor self esteem.
