SeacoastOnline article by Hadley Barndollar Posted Oct 20, 2018 at 8:35 PM.
DURHAM — A first of its kind event put the finishing touches on the 2018 Black New England Conference Saturday; an Afrofuturistic fashion show depicting a vision for “black excellence.”
The theme of this year’s conference, held at the University of New Hampshire, was “Express Yourself: Identity, Style and Adornment.” The theme focused on how style — whether expressed through art, music, literature, performance, speech, or bodily adornment — operates as a visible and tangible marker of identity and group affiliation.
The fashion show titled “3018,” was a story of 200 years from now, when African tribes travel to space, and then later return to earth to see where they originated from.
The show’s creator, UNH freshman Terry Robinson, said the colorful, impactful and abstract display of fashion was a culmination of three to four months of hard work.
“It’s moments like these that shut everyone up,” he laughed to applause after the show’s finale.
The fashion show featured clothing from international designer and trendsetter Francis Hendy whose client list includes Missy Elliot, Wyclef Jean, Samuel L. Jackson, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Usher, and Snoop Dogg. Fashions by Emelyne Adios from Manchester, and New England based designers Olivia Amanda Oleko and Elisabeth Walu Osakanu were also featured, as well as the work by a student designer from Maine College of Art. Hair and makeup was done by designer Kettia Fenestor and her team.
Robinson is the founder and creative director of House Of Testament, a streetwear brand focused on designing concepts that resonate with African American demographics.
The clothing on display depicted ancient earth ancestry, tribal Africans, and futuristic elements.
Robinson’s models were UNH students.
