Warriors in the making came out to the Reitz Union on Thursday.
Casting calls for Pride Awareness Month’s third annual fashion show brought hopeful models in front of designers and stylists in the Reitz Union Matthews Suite.
The 15th annual Pride Awareness Month begins March 16, and the show — themed “Warriors” — is April 2.
Eight designers will be featured, five of whom are local. One of the designers was previously on the Lifetime series “Project Runway,” but that’s as much as the staff will reveal.
Kevin Huynh, Pride Awareness Month fashion show director, said the event will showcase people who don’t feel they fit in.
“Clothes are our armor,” said the 23-year-old UF public relations senior.
He said it’s also a chance for the community to come together in support of equality.
“The more you reach out,” said Huynh, “the more talent you get.”
Hiram Martinez-Cabrera, Pride Awareness Month executive director, was scribbling on papers next to a pile of model applications.
“It is my job to make sure everything happens smoothly,” the 21-year-old UF public relations junior said.
Pride Awareness Month is an annual monthlong series of events that highlights the lives of individuals within the UF LGBTQ+ community. The theme for this year’s awareness month is “trailblazers.”
Students interested in strutting the runway can go to the final casting call in the Matthews Suite from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 2/27/2015 under the headline “Pride finds fashion warriors at Reitz”]
