The students in the Black Cultural Arts Council (BCAC) have spent a week polishing the runway and perfecting their struts for Saturday's annual spring fashion show at the Century Center in South Bend.
Titled "I Love Hip Hop," this year's production marks the BCAC's 30th anniversary - but while the history of the club will be a focal point, the history of hip-hop will take center stage.
"The show takes a look at the evolution of hip-hop and its impact on fashion not only as a style of music but also as a culture," said junior Brittny Flint, one of the show's coordinators.
Flint said students will model clothing from DEB, Cache, the Gap, Charlotte Russe, New York Style and 101 Collections to the beats of hip-hop hits.
"It is a huge production that everyone has put a lot of hard work into," she said.
Twenty-nine Notre Dame and Saint Mary's students will model the designs, Flint said, while nearly 40 students will be involved in the production's overall organization.
The team of coordinators collaborated to bring different fashions to the show - but they also brought a new perspective to the BCAC's production.
Saturday's fashion show will differ from its predecessors in its fundraising effort, assistant show coordinator senior Jason Laws said. For the first time, he said, the production is supporting a charity.
All ticket proceeds and additional donations collected at the door will benefit Touching Tiny Lives (TTL), an organization that works with children in Lesotho who suffer from HIV/AIDS, Laws said.
Through clinical care and the promotion of global responsibility, TTL strives to heal and offer hope to the children and communities of Lesotho, the organization's Web site said.
"We chose this organization after realizing that amongst many of the international nonprofit organizations that work to fight against the struggle with HIV/AIDS, with TTL we would know exactly how funding would help those in need," Laws said. "We know the funding will go directly to Lesotho, South Africa."
Another new addition to the show is the creation of a $1 "Be VIP for 1 Night" raffle, he said. On Friday, four students will be drawn as winners of a VIP package that includes a $25 debit gift card, red carpet treatment before the show, a special photo-op and VIP seating for the winner and two guests, Laws said. Proceeds from the raffle will also go to TTL.
Organizers said they did not expect student attendance and participation to be a problem.
"Because it is the 30th year anniversary of the fashion show, it makes this year even more exciting," Flint said. "We are expecting a great turnout."
For 30 years, the BCAC fashion show has been a highlight of Notre Dame's annual Spring Visitation Weekend. From today until Sunday, prospective African-, Asian-, Latino- and Native-American students will be visiting campus to get a taste of undergraduate life at the University.
Each year, Spring Visitation participants take part in a variety of activities that help them understand college life at Notre Dame - and the fashion show continues to be one of the most entertaining events of the weekend, Flint said.
Students from Notre Dame and Saint Mary's are welcomed at the show and the red carpet events leading up to it starting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, she said.
Free shuttle transportation to the Century Center will be provided at the Library Circle every 15 minutes starting at 6:15 p.m. Saturday.
