Cheers and music filled the Compton Union Building Senior Ballroom as students stepped onto the runway Wednesday night, using clothes from their own closets to recreate fashion trends from different eras.
The event, themed “Centuries of Time,” featured about 30 student models styling their own outfits to represent different decades and cultural influences while celebrating creativity and Women’s History Month.
Instead of providing outfits, organizers encouraged participants to style themselves. This allowed students to get creative with pieces they already owned.
“It’s like a glimpse into different timelines of how people dressed,” said Siju Olamipo Apejoye, SEB arts director and organizer of the event. “It’s just how I imagine I would have dressed if I lived in those different timelines.”
That approach turned the runway into a mix of personal interpretation and historical inspiration. Students pieced together outfits that reflected different cultural moments, showing how fashion evolves alongside the people wearing it.
“The reason why I had people use their own clothes is going back to the point of like, how would you dress if you lived back then,” Apejoye said. “If you just sit down and put stuff together, the themes are really easy.”
The show opened with a Roaring ’20s section, where models walked the runway in polished looks inspired by the elegance of the era. Flowing silhouettes and vintage-inspired styling gave the segment a classic feel, drawing enthusiastic reactions from the audience.
Janissa Hepton, a student participant, modeled a 1920s-inspired look she styled herself.
“I thrifted it actually,” Hepton said.
Hepton said she had previously worn the outfit for a Roaring ’20s-themed casino night event she organized earlier in the year through SEB.
The runway then jumped forward in time with a Y2K-inspired segment, where baggier silhouettes and early-2000s streetwear reflected the influence of hip-hop and pop culture from the era. The nostalgic looks sparked loud cheers from the crowd, with many audience members reacting to trends they recognized.
Kenan Pojskic, president of WSU’s Luxe Fashion Magazine, said the Y2K section was his highlight of the show.
“If it’s not Y2K, don’t come my way,” Pojskic said.
Later segments of the show highlighted modern-day styles displaying a glimpse of what you would see people wear in the current day, and cultural fashion reflecting the diversity of the WSU community. Models showcased outfits inspired by their cultural backgrounds, bringing different traditions and identities from around the world onto the runway.
This was a major part of the event, because to Apejoye, fashion represents more than trends or aesthetics.
“Fashion is just a way to show who you are,” Apejoye said. “Just being authentic.”
Between runway segments, performances kept the crowd energized. Krimson Kouture delivered a high-energy dance performance, followed later by a K-pop-inspired routine from the WSU Graviti Dance Crew.
The final section focused on women in leadership, with participants modeling business-inspired outfits representing professional ambition and empowerment. The segment connected the show’s theme to Women’s History Month, highlighting the presence of women leaders across campus.
The show concluded with Apejoye walking the runway herself as the audience applauded, a moment that capped off months of planning and preparation.
Apejoye said she began developing the idea for the show when she first joined SEB and hopes the event continues in the future.
“I want it to be the annual arts event in the spring,” she said.
By the end of the night, the runway had brought the audience through decades of fashion, showing how students could transform themselves into different moments in history using nothing more than their own creativity, and clothes already hanging in their closets.
More information about SEB or performers featured at the event can be found on their Instagram pages:
Student Entertainment Board: @wsu_seb
Krimson Kouture: @_krimsonkouture
Graviti Dance Crew: @wsu.gravitidc