By Chelsea Addy and Erin Kelly, News Correspondents

When Naomi Thompson Hall, associate director of the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equality, came into Jennifer Chen’s sophomore co-op class to discuss diversity and unity, she didn’t know the discussion would spark a bond between the two and lead to, of all things, an annual fashion show.

“I’ve gone to it every year,” Thompson Hall said. “The quality gets increasingly higher and more professional every year.”

In 2009, Chen, a fashion designer who is pursuing a business degree with a dual concentration in marketing and accounting, proposed putting on a fashion show during Northeastern’s Diversity Week to help gain more exposure for the week as a whole. She brought her idea to the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity (OIDE), and spearheaded the first Unity Fashion Show, where Chen’s own designs were featured.

Chen is teaming up with OIDE again to host the third annual Unity Fashion Show in the Curry Student Center Ballroom March 25 to once again showcase her eclectic clothing line, Expression by Jennifer Chen.

This year, the lines and designers include Expression by Jennifer Chen, DRI by Adriana, Deviant Art by Vivien Chen, Heaven Styles by Nathan Garvin, T*Racy Design, Sweet Society and Ortega Designs. The designers will showcase men’s and women’s clothing, jewelry and accessories.

As a sophomore at Northeastern, Chen began working on a collection of clothing and was inspired to fuse her interest of diversity with fashion. Though much of her design knowledge is self-taught, she has taken several classes to strengthen her ability.

“I think the first two classes that guided me were a figure drawing class, where I learned the proportions of the human body, which helped me a lot in terms of how to draw out my designs,” Chen said. “And from there I ended up taking an independent class in fashion illustration.”

Chen produced a smaller collection last spring, but her first full collection, “Becoming Me,” devoted to her personal growth, was not complete until this fall. As an aspiring designer, Chen said she is still learning what her limits within design are.

“I like to work with a lot of contrasting fabrics and contrasting colors,” Chen said.

Chen’s designs are meant for women primarily in their early 20s, though some of her designs are targeted toward high school students. Each of Chen’s pieces are one of a kind, because she doesn’t want women who purchase her designs to worry about seeing duplicates.

“I don’t like walking down the street seeing other girls wearing what I wear, and I want the girls wearing my pieces to know they can strut their stuff down the street, knowing someone else is not wearing the same piece,” Chen said.

Chen describes the garments in her latest line as “edgy and elegant, yet classy,” and gets much of her inspiration from her own life experiences.

“‘Becoming Me’ is a multi-personal collection,” Chen said. “It’s inspired by everything from my struggles to my triumphs. I take significant moments in my life, putting together how I felt and combined that with the setting that I was in. Metaphorically, I just started pulling together colors and textures that I wanted to work with.”

When putting together a fashion show, like the Unity Fashion Show, Chen said she organizes her collections so that her models exit in a specific order to depict the transformation of her life, starting from who she was as a young child, to the woman she is now.

Chen’s background and education in business and experience on co-op have helped her create and sustain “Expression by Jennifer Chen,” a multi-faceted business that aims to cater to all aspects of the fashion industry, like coaching models, fashion design and event planning.

“[Chen’s designs] are not your everyday clothes you see at Forever 21 to the Gap,” said David Tran, the photographer for last year’s Unity Fashion Show who has remained friends with Chen. Jennifer’s clothes are out of the ordinary. [Her designs] are very simple but the style she creates has a vision and translates into a working piece of art.”

Chen’s friend and co-model, Rachel Julien, 23, also a choreographer and model coach, said she auditioned to be a model for the first Unity Fashion Show, and her and Chen have remained colleagues and friends.

“[Her designs] are very unique, you don’t really get to see girls put things together as collectively as she does,” Julien said. “She does a lot of things with jumpers and leggings, but she does it in such a tasteful, unique way, and I think a lot of her influence comes from her home [in Taiwan], and she can intertwine that with what the everyday girl wears.”

Chen said she hopes to pursue a career in the marketing industry once she graduates, but will continue to practice fashion design and pursue her love for art.

“Through ‘Expression by Jennifer Chen,’ my goal is to show the public there’s still an artistry in fashion,” Chen said. “There’s still a craft in fashion, there’s still an element to it that makes it a form of art.”

The doors open on this sold out show at 6 p.m. with a pre-show reception showing by the jewelry line T*Racy Design, featuring designs that reflect the sensuality of the human body.

The Unity show has sparked interest among some students. Freshman communications studies major Kristina Crowley said she is excited to see what Chen and her associates have put together.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the styles the designers came up with for spring and summer trends. I know how great a show this one is,” Crowley said.

There will also be a free giveaway of gift cards from the designers, photographers and local businesses.

Chen said the recurring themes of diversity and unity are not only represented in the clothes, but in every aspect from the designs to the photographers.

“We each come from different academic institutions and organizations, ethnicities, likes, dislikes and experiences,” Chen said. “Together, we work together for three months to train, share and learn from each other.”

To accomplish this, Chen said she plans on bringing a variety of high school and college-aged designers from around the country. Every year, new designers, models, photographers, hairstylists, make-up artists, vendors and videographers are chosen to help put on this fashion show.

“The purpose of showcasing new participants in our show is to continuously keep our fans and audiences on the edge as to what to expect for the upcoming year,” Chen said. “Unity Fashion Show not only promotes diversity and unity, but also strives to provide students and local designers, performers and models the exposure and experience they need to pursue their passion and career.”