Greek Seasons fashion show features Greek chapter’s colors to support “March for Babies”

Kevin Jaramillo, ’16, and Kenneth Wong, ’16, play games on the stage during the fashion show at Lamberton Hall on Friday, April 17, 2015. Lehigh students created an art collective clothing line name “The Superiors.” (Nan He/B&W photo)

Lehigh had its first ever Greek Seasons fashion show last Friday night in Lamberton Hall to raise money and clothing for March of Dimes. The show was hosted by Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority Inc. as part of its “Greek Seasons” program, which features fashion lines developed by sororities and fraternities designed to showcase their organization’s respective colors.

Five sororities, Lambda Theta Alpha, Kappa Alpha Theta, Pi Beta Phi, Kappa Delta, and Mu Sigma Upsilon, were present. Four fraternities: Lambda Sigma Upsilon, Kappa Alpha Psi, Alpha Phi Alpha, and Phi Delta Theta, were in attendance.

Each organization was responsible for creating its own fashion line spanning across each of the four seasons, but utilizing its own personal colors. Mu Sigma Upsilon had to incorporate baby blue and white, Kappa Alpha Theta had to use gold and black, and Kappa Alpha Psi had to use crimson and cream.

The challenge lie in keeping the colors in style for each of the four seasons without changing them too much.

“It was surprisingly good,” said Jake Hershner, ’15, a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. “I didn’t know how well a fashion show would work but I’ve been really impressed at what everybody’s been able to come up with.”

The crowd, made up of both the participating Greek organizations and non-affiliated fashion enthusiasts, was both active and positive, praising the various designs as they graced the runway, and cheering as their friends strutted and posed for them.

“As a study abroad student I found it fascinating to see the difference between American and British fashion, especially considering we don’t really have Greek life at home,” said Emily Brundrett, a study abroad student from England who was visiting Lehigh for the weekend. “All in all, I just found it really interesting, and I enjoyed seeing how they used the colors they had to.”

Attendees were required to donate either cash or used clothing at the door, with all proceeds going to benefit March of Dimes Foundation’s “March for Babies,” a nonprofit fundraiser that seeks to improve the health of pregnant mothers and their children. All clothing donations will be given to the Bethlehem South Side Sale, the collection drive that marks the end of every school year by selling off college students’ unwanted clothing and appliances

Though this is the first year the event came to Lehigh. Mu Sigma Upsilon holds Greek Seasons annually at various other colleges, including Bucknell, SUNY College, Virginia Tech, and its originating university, Rutgers.

“As an organization we host this event all across the country, but this is the first time it has been done at Lehigh,” said Gladys Castellón, ’17, the president of Mu Sigma Upsilon. “We thought it would be a great way to bring together the Greek community, and those unaffiliated as well.”

She said that she thought the event was successful for its first year, and the chapter looks forward to doing it again. She also noted that the organizations that were present had great participation, and the audience was also very involved.

Mu Sigma Upsilon is the first multicultural sorority in the nation, having only been founded in 1981, with the mission of uniting women together, regardless of race or ethnicity. They have well over thirty chapters spread out across the East Coast, as well as at several universities in the Midwest. The Yemaya Chapter has been at Lehigh since 2012.