Maeve Bauer, Spectrum Editor
“VCUarts Fashion has made my work into a minstrelsy,” read a post by third-year student Taylor Hodge last Thursday — less than a week before the annual VCUarts Fashion and Merchandising show at the VMFA.
Fashion design and merchandising students submitted their works in hopes of being selected for the fashion show, something usually seen as an opportunity for students to share skills they have been harnessing at VCU.
When submitting their work, students are asked to fill out a comment card for any specifics they had about their work and how they would like to see it displayed. One of the sections asked if there were any cultural considerations to be taken into account.
Hodge requested a Black model wear her design. Her selected two-piece suit was part of her “Sapphire Collection,” named for the “angry Black woman” stereotype.
The looks were scored and decided by a board made up mostly of VCU donors and some alumni. Students have no communication with the board, according to Hodge. The models were chosen before the outfits were selected in March by a board of professors and community members.
Hodge heard from other designers that the models for certain looks did not match the requests that were entered. She checked a list of the models and looked up the person assigned to her design.
“I was like, ‘this person does not not match this at all, but I’m going to make sure’ so I asked them and I’m like, ‘hey, would it be possible for me to see an image of the model?’ They were very curt,” Hodge said. “They were very quick to be like, ‘no, get out. You shouldn’t be in here. We don’t have to show you that,’ and basically questioning why I needed to know that information.”
Hodge went to the show directors, who questioned her need for a Black model despite the specifications she made on the form.
After some back and forth, the director suggested Hodge model the outfit — Hodge said she preferred not to, but ultimately agreed. She later reversed her decision after speaking with a counselor, not wanting to compromise her art.
“It feels so big because I know that the VCU show is a big opportunity for all of us as designers and I would love to be able to show my work, but if it’s going to be in a way that feels unauthentic, I don’t know if it’s really worth it,” Hodge said.
Department chair Kimberly Guthrie asked Hodge what message she thought it would send to the department, stressing the issues it would cause so close to the show date, according to Hodge.
“One distinct thing I really remember her [Guthrie] saying was, ‘are you okay with knowing that in your senior year, you would have given up this opportunity?’” Hodge said.
After their conversation, Hodge went to Instagram to share her experience with the department — saying she would rather stand up for her and other students’ representation than worry about disappointing her professors.
The post has since garnered thousands of likes and views. Guthrie asked Hodge to take the post down the day it was posted, according to Hodge.
“I just let her know I really can’t do that,” Hodge said. “It just wouldn’t feel right to me to say something so boldly and then immediately retract it.”
VCUarts recognized the fashion department’s shortcomings in a statement sent to The CT.
“Every student deserves to feel heard, respected and supported in our programs at VCUarts. We recognize that this student’s experience fell short of that,” the statement read. “Our Fashion Department faculty has been in contact with the student and we are actively working together to address her concerns. We are also examining what led to this situation so we can continue to improve our support for every student in the School of the Arts.”
Some fashion students have planned an alternative show for May 7. It was already being planned prior, but Hodge’s story only gave them more of a reason to do so, according to third-year student Emory Bartenstein.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase everyone’s work outside of our regular fashion show, which can be competitive,” Bartenstein stated. “It’s also a great way to build community and support each other and get inspired by new ideas through others’ fashion.”