HU Students Rip the Runway

The Hampton University Department of Fine and Performing Arts hosted HU Rips the Runway: Black Reign 2013 Fashion Show April 12-14 in Armstrong Halls Little Theater. The production started with a competition between Black Reign the fashion forward cool guy and HU Nerd boy, a college nerd that needed wardrobe assistance. During Friday nights show, the department presented urban fashion designer, Ralph Reynolds, with the Fashion Trailblazer Award. Reynolds is the creative director and part owner of T.I.s AKOO Company. Reynolds showed more than 50 looks in the show including looks from their upcoming summer and fall lines and a special preview of their new womens line that will launch Sept. 2013. Special guest fashion designer, Rafael Cox, was featured in the show. Coxs designs were seen on Season 9 of Lifetimes Project Runway. A graduate of American Intercontinental University with a BFA in Fashion Marketing and Design, Cox is the owner of Rafael Cox Designs in Atlanta. Ga. His designs have recently been seen at his solo fashion show, Redemption, at the Defoor Center in Atlanta, Ga. Hair and make-up artist, John Eley, of Bliss Salon, was also a featured designer. One of the most notable celebrity hairstylists to come out of the Hampton Roads area, Eley has styled hair for many music videos for artists such as Diddy, Young Jeezy, and the T-Dream. He has participated in more than a hundred fashion and hair shows across the country. The fashion show was a fun yet educational environment where Hampton students had the opportunity to be exposed to the inner workings of the fashion industry in areas such as hair, make-up, photography, and entrepreneurship. -Brianna Dance 14