Students lined up Friday evening at Barton Hall for the Minority Industrial and Labor Relations Student Organization’s (MILRSO) INFERNO fashion show awaiting a glimpse of sexy styles and performers. The 14th annual show, “Inferno: The Hottest Show of the Year” was hosted by MILRSO treasurer Lisa Broadnax ’03 and alumna Quaran Pender ’01 and featured not only styles from various designers both inside and outside the Cornell fashion world, but also entertainment from the “Sabor Latino” dancers, comedian Zooman, singer Carmen, performer Storm P, and the Cornell Caribbean Student Association (CCSA).
Although the show started an hour late due to two tardy designers and a late DJ, once the music started and the lights flipped on, all eyes were focused on the models and performers.
“I don’t think I have ever seen so many sexy, oiled up bodies in one room,” confessed Mara Sherman ’05, an audience member. “The White Scene Fashion was hot!”
The variety of entertainment mirrored the diversity that MILRSO encompasses. In addition to Cornell’s Textiles and Apparels minority designers’ lines, the show featured designs from Jewel Shannon, PELA and Da’ Underground, which were all presented by a crew of thirty models. After intermission, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Trendsetters and MILRSO presented awards and book scholarships in the hopes to encourage students to give back to the community.
Each year, MILRSO hosts a fashion show to recruit and retain students of color not only in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, but in the entire Cornell community. Strategically scheduled on the diversity hosting weekend held for prospective students, the show hoped to convey what Cornell can offer to minority students. The organization’s main goal is to increase students’ awareness for the current professional issues in the world, while simultaneously developing a sense of community by strengthening student ties with faculty, alumni, corporate sponsors and each other. Apart from the show, MILRSO plans an annual Fireside Chat where companies that value diversity come to familiarize ILR students, through informal conversations, with helpful tips for future careers.
MILRSO’s greatest project, however, is the annual fashion show, which, according to Melissa Ariate ’04, vice president of MILRSO, “is an exciting time to be able to give something to the community on such a big scale, and it is an honor to be part of a group that produces a show of such quality and magnitude.”
Lasting over two and a half hours, every new facet of the show stunned viewers.
“Extremely impressive,” said Devon Pendleton ’05, a member of the audience. “The clothing as well as the style and sophistication of the models was unlike anything I’d expect from student-run organizations at Cornell. It was as hot as promised!”
Archived article by Sejal Udani