WOW Week culminates in the international fashion show

Lipscomb University’s Welcome to Our World Week has been a campus tradition for many years. Each year, what students call “WOW Week” is full of different events highlighting cultures on campus each day and culminating in the cultural fashion show.

The fashion show was held this year on Oct. 24, with 17 different countries represented. The show’s hosts, Khloe Fodra and Dieula Estival, kicked off the evening with energy, welcoming the audience to their world.

Venezuela was the first country to walk, followed by Ethiopia, Mexico and Honduras. Eritrea followed next, with four girls walking, and three of them returning to the stage to perform a traditional dance. The audience members cheered, some trilling and ululating as they saw their own culture on the stage, as the girls danced.

Ghana came out next, with France coming behind them. Ellie Heslon, a senior at Lipscomb, walked for France. She taught the audience “a silly French ‘happy birthday’ song that I used to sing in elementary school in France.” Heslon and the audience sang the song to everyone in the audience who’d had a birthday in October.

“It felt really sweet,” Heslon said about the ability to represent her culture. “There’s only three French students on this campus, maybe a couple more, so it’s really precious.”

For Heslon, it’s her third year walking in the fashion show, and has become a sort of tradition for her. “I’ve gotten to send my grandparents a video [from the stage] wishing them a happy 50th wedding anniversary, I’ve gotten to sing onstage, it’s just been a really sweet time.”

Following France was Kurdistan, Lipscomb sophomore Hana Hawrami walking in traditional Kurdish Jli Kurdi. Her outfit consisted of multiple pieces, layered over each other in traditional fashion, and decorated with many pieces of jewelry.

“Each piece is called something different, and the word can vary from dialect to dialect or tribe to tribe,” Hawrami said, explaining each piece of her outfit in turn. “You have to adorn it with gold,” she added with a smile, showcasing her jewelry.

Hawrami was the only Kurdish student to walk in the fashion show, and she said she was proud to represent her culture. “It felt really good,” she said. “I’m glad that I can be some representation for this campus, because Nashville does host the largest community [of Kurdish people] in I think the entire Western Hemisphere… so it feels really, really nice to be able to show a piece of my culture.”

Chile walked next, Vanessa Fuentes taking to the stage in an outfit of all feathers, from the top and skirt to the headdress. She performed a traditional dance, the audience cheering and clapping along in time to the beat of the music. Her face, arms and stomach were painted in white paint, showcasing traditional designs.

After Chile came Iraq, Layla Alsadoon wearing traditional garb. “It has a lot of names, there’s a lot of pieces to it,” she said. “But the one on top is called a Hashimi.”

Alsadoon is a senior at Lipscomb, but this is her first year walking in the fashion show. “I had known about it and I’d watched it, but I was like ‘I need to do it at least once.’ I just wanted to showcase my culture.”

“I just love the community of different cultures,” Alsadoon said. She was the only Iraqi to walk, but said it was awesome to do so. “It felt really empowering,” she smiled. “It felt cool to share it with other people.”

Somalia was up next, then Nicaragua. Sophomore Harold Espinoza Lopez walked for Nicaragua, his blue traditional shirt colorfully embroidered with birds and other cultural designs.

“It was the most memorable WOW Week ever,” he said. “To inspire other people to do the same thing… next year, it truly feels so inspiring… It made me feel a lot of confidence.”

The United States was represented with three cultures – black, Appalachian and Western. Avery Yates walked for Appalachia, performing a clogging, flatfooting dance to a banjo bluegrass tune. The Western culture culminated in a guitar and vocals performance of Lady A’s song “American Honey.”

Egypt came out following the United States, and they were followed by Vietnam. After Vietnam came South Korea, then the Philippines closed out the evening.

The Philippines was the largest group, 11 people walking in cultural clothing. After all 11 walked, Marielle Guarin and Mychaela James came out to sing a traditional song, and then the entire group flooded the stage to perform a traditional dance. The rhythmic sounds of dancing feet and poles tapping on the ground filled Shamblin as the group jumped and danced around and over sets of poles on the floor.

Laurence Miranda was one of the 11 to walk and dance with the Philippines. He wore a Barong Tagalog, a traditional men’s Filipino outfit.

“I felt great,” he said about representing his culture. “My Filipino brethren pulled me into it,” he laughed.

“It just showcases all the different people that are present on campus that you don’t really know,” he explained. “I didn’t know some of these countries were even present on campus. I think it’s a good way to show there’s diversity on campus.”

The hosts returned to bid everyone goodbye, thanking the audience for joining them in “such an amazing journey around the world.”

The models came out one last time, walking out with their flags. As their names were called, they walked the catwalk one last time and then stepped off the stage. Moving to stand next to each other, they ringed the catwalk and stage with their fellow countrymen and women, and their flags.

“I think having events throughout the week is really, really nice, but when you come together at the end of the week and actually start to see so many different cultures aside from like Henna night or Afro beats invasion, it’s so cool to see all these people,” said Hawrami. “Where they’re from, who they’re representing and a little piece of their culture. I think it’s the perfect note to end the week off.”

Lopez said the fashion show was the highlight of his WOW Week. “This is a great time to connect with people you’re not as familiar with,” he said, encouraging others to represent their countries and learn from each other.

“It’s probably the thing that I participate in the most. I love it,” Heslon said. Though this is her last year walking in the fashion show, she said she hopes to see it continue.

“I love WOW Week because of the fashion show,” Alsadoon smiled.

“It was a nice finisher,” said Miranda. “All the countries are represented, and they all represent their cultures and all their traditional clothes and stuff. I think it’s a good way of ending it off, all the countries coming together on campus for one show.”

Featured photo taken by Madelyn Paul.