More than 70 students, faculty and staff showcased traditional dress, dance and music from around the world at Colgate University’s annual Multicultural Fashion Show on Friday, Oct. 31. The ALANA Cultural Center event, now in its fourth year, drew a packed audience to celebrate the campus community’s cultural diversity.
“The goal of the annual ALANA Multicultural Fashion Show is to celebrate the beauty of unique identities and the diverse global cultures represented on our campus, all in a fun, collaborative, creative and empowering way,” Director of ALANA Esther Rosbrook said.
Student ambassadors and social justice educators joined Rosbrook in the planning process. Rosbrook noted that the planning team included more than 10 volunteers and 12 student staff members, including ambassadors, intergroup dialogue interns and social justice peer educators.
“[The ambassadors] are very well mentored, coached and exposed to the organizations of the tradition,” Rosbrook said.
One of these student leaders is senior Langh Guite, lead ambassador at the ALANA Cultural Center. Guite explained his role of serving as the point of contact between the center and students. He added that he curated the event’s itinerary and playlist, contacted models, organizations, volunteers and performers and coordinated the photoshoot with sophomore photographer Jason Qiu.
“As an ambassador of the center, I, along with my co-workers, organized and facilitated the Multicultural Fashion Show,” Guite said. “This event could not have been done without the help of the ALANA Cultural student and professional staff.”
Another key student leader, social chair for Colgate African Student Union and senior Grace Owusu-Amoah, served as one of the emcees for the event alongside Master of Arts in Teaching student Rhoman Elvis. In addition to helping write the script and determine performance lineups, Owusu-Amoah also took part in the show as a performer in the K-pop dance group Sipsam.
“My role involved communication, organization and helping the show run smoothly from start to finish, but I, of course, could not and did not do it all on my own,” Owusu-Amoah said.
Rosbrook, Guite and Owusu-Amoah each highlighted the emphasis on teamwork and collaboration in facilitating the event, as well as its continuity across the years. This year’s event opened with an East Asian cultural drum performance, followed by an introduction given by Rosbrook. She described how this fashion show is only one of their more than 100 programs each year, many of which focus on social justice and anti-racism. Rosbrook then delved into ALANA’s historical significance at Colgate, having been present on campus for 36 years. Keilani Blas ’22 originally started the event in 2021, with Elannah De La O ’24 continuing the tradition. The fashion show torch has now been passed to Guite.
The event featured cultural and streetwear costumes representing Latino, African, South Asian and East Asian culture. Many students carried flags and signs, conveying cultural and political messages. The event also highlighted Latinx, East Asian and South Asian-inspired dances and a vocal performance by senior Joyce Ebikhumi.
The fashion show also featured two raffles, with students having the chance to win prizes varying from sweatshirts, blankets, drinking glasses and items from the bookstore. Ambassadors of Colgate’s Social Justice Peer Education and Intergroup Dialogue programs spoke about their goals to unite people from diverse cultures and backgrounds and build community.
“The ALANA Fashion Show is meant to celebrate the diversity within our Colgate community and create a space where students can proudly showcase their cultures, traditional clothing and personal identities,” Owusu-Amoah said. “Many participants also shared the significance of their attire, giving the audience a chance to learn about different histories and cultural experiences.”
One student model walked the audience through her cultural Jamaican outfit, with her flower earrings representing the diaspora of the Jamaican people. Another student model shared details about her traditional Vietnamese dress, tailored by her great aunt. A third student model described his traditional Filipino attire. Once used by the Spaniards to colonize Filipinos, this wear has now been reclaimed by Filipinos to instead gain power from it. The event concluded with a dance competition in which the winner won an Amazon gift card, fostering engagement and support among the audience as well.
“This event became a highly expected tradition where students from all backgrounds can come enjoy and call a space home,” Guite said. “The show highlights the strength in diversity which is so important in the times we are in now.”
Guite also highlighted that the show’s more than 70 participants made this year’s event possible, emphasizing the collaboration that went into planning and executing as well as the role the community plays in mobilizing allyship.
“Shows work better when we unite people with something that everybody likes: art, dance, singing and passion,” Rosbrook said.
Rosbrook gave a shout out to ALANA’s campus partners, including the Advancement Office, Colgate Bookstore and ITS, for making the event possible. Guite echoed this sentiment and noted ALANA’s plans to continue holding space for everyone. The event ultimately fostered unity and inclusion through a celebration of shared culture, reflecting goals central to ALANA.
“[The show] reflects ALANA’s mission of multicultural exploration, social justice education and community building,” Owusu-Amoah said. “ALANA works to celebrate cultural histories, empower students and create a campus environment committed to inclusivity and equity — and this fashion show is one of the most visible examples of that.”
