By Jason Ritchey, news correspondent
The Curry Ballroom will transform into a runway on Thursday evening at 8 p.m. for the Student Alumni Association’s (SAA) Fashion in Action program. Far from a typical fashion show, the event aims to raise awareness for the issue of domestic violence, rather than just showcasing the season’s newest fashions.
“Over the past two months, the Northeastern and Boston communities have been asked to clean out their closets and donate gently-used or no longer wanted clothes,” Dayna Altman, a senior human services and psychology major, said. Altman is also the SAA vice president of community service and Fashion in Action organizer.
Altman and stylists Abby Sullivan, senior journalism major, and Casey Andrews, junior marketing major, then sorted the donations into outfits for the runway. After the show, the clothing will be donated to local non-profits serving survivors of domestic violence: Casas Myrna, Penelope’s Place and RESPOND.
Thursday’s event will feature models in seasonal outfits as well as a performances by Acting Out, an on-campus acting group; Pitch, Please!, one of NU’s a cappella groups; and Ali Matalon, a junior international affairs major who will perform spoken-word poetry.
Altman admired the work of both groups, as well as Malalon, and wanted to include them in the show.
“In order to make the show as interesting and captivating as possible, I thought we could intersperse the modeled looks with performances,” Altman said.
In addition to donating the clothes after the show, the earnings from the $5 requested donation for admission will go to The Joyful Heart Foundation, a national organization Altman has worked with in the past.
The Joy Heart Foundation holds programs to support survivors of domestic and sexual assault. Its programing caters to people with a wide variety of interests and needs, including healing and wellness, education and awareness, policy and advocacy
“This is a project I have always dreamt of doing, and with some hard work, inspiration and university support it is coming together,” Altman, who has been developing the idea for more than a year, said.
“I was thinking about ways in which I could spread the message of domestic violence and sexual assault in a creative way that people would want to be a part of.”
She explained that many survivors escape from their situations with only the clothes on their backs – something that shocked her.
“A simple article of clothing is something we take for granted on a day-to-day basis, but for these women and victims it means something more,” Sullivan said. “It’s nice to see those who are fortunate enough to give back, give back.”
Though the donation process for clothes for the show officially ended almost two weeks ago, a box will be at the event for additional collections.
“I think there is a lot to be said about feeling good in your own skin, and giving women the clothing and tools to help them feel good in theirs is really important to me,” Altman said.
She explained that she thought the drive would have been incomplete without connecting it to the issue of domestic violence. Altman believes the event does more than collect articles of clothing, the event has a clear priority: to raise awareness and accumulate resources for survivors of domestic abuse.
“[Altman] wants to enforce that this is a celebration of what we have been able to do as a community, not so much a fashion forward event,” Sullivan said. “Yes, it’s a fun-filled, glamorous night of fashion and giving back, but it’s more about raising funds and awareness and starting the conversation.”
Altman emphasized how relevant and important of an issue domestic violence is, especially on university campuses.
“One in five women will be [sexually] assaulted before she graduates, which means the odds are everyone has a connection to the issue, whether it is personal, a friend, a classmate, a roommate,” Sullivan said. “The project is not only about having fun on the runway and donating clothing to domestic violence and rape crisis centers, it is a vehicle for a conversation for a topic that is often silenced.”
Photo courtesy Dayna Altman, Fashion In Action
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