Crowd gathers in the Braid Mill’s gathering space to get ready for the Fashion Show beginning. (Photo: Rasheed Z. Ajamu)
Prevention Meets Fashion (PMF) hosted its ninth annual Condom Fashion Show on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 21. Seeking to connect sexual health to policy and events currently “In The News,” the organization transformed the second floor of The Braid Mill into a space to educate and empower attendees.
“We picked [In The News] because there’s just been so much going on in the news with the administration, with policies, with everything,” Nhakia Outland, PMF Founder & Executive Director, said about this year’s theme.
She continued, “I don’t think people recognize that a lot of that is sex education.”
Models sported outfits adorned with, or made out of, condoms in a range of colors, addressing issues like women in sports, transgender military bans, curriculum censorship, and more. Sixteen youth and young adult designers, ages seven through 26, showcased designs either solo or in groups.
“I’m really, really, really overjoyed that these youth and young adults reimagined these policies and what it means to them,” Outland said to guests, as models strutted down the runway.
The Condom Fashion Show started nine years ago as a grassroots project involving youth from Dobbins and was held at Our House Culture Center. It has since evolved into one of PMF’s premier programs, serving as a vehicle to blend the intersections of fashion and advocacy.
PMF’s whole mission is to increase sexual health knowledge in Black and LGBTQIA+ communities through fashion, advocacy, community, and education.
Outland, who grew up at Chew & Locust, says fashion is often hyper-criticized and dismissed in conversations around social justice. But she stands on fashion as a crux of experiences within intimate partner violence, racial profiling, access to medical care, gun violence, and more.
“We can go back and show you how fashion, clothing, and hair have shown up in every last aspect of those things and how we need to stop ignoring it,” Outland told GIH.
One of the core reasons the show is held in February is because it sits within a triad of nationally recognized months for teen dating violence, condoms, and Black history.
Alongside the fashion show were four presentations on different topics. The first two—teen economic abuse and technology-facilitated violence—are especially significant.
Outland said they represent what she notices as emerging trends within her line of work. She says many teens are working and are forced to give up their entire paycheck to their family. At the same time, others are also experiencing abuse through technology, whether through rapid texting or withholding devices for control.
The other two presentations included turning sexual health and wellness into advocacy, led by sponsor ViiV Healthcare, and condom education by PMF student intern Caroline Cappabianca.
Outland also issued recognition and an award to the Young Artist Program (YAP); Christine Joy Brunson of Purple House Project, a longtime sponsor of the event; and the DJ for the event since its inception, DJ Akomplish.
Event sponsor Condom One also provided free condoms and other materials. Outland said the organization has been sponsoring the event since the beginning and is grateful for its participation and support.
Organizations, including YAP and Purple House Project, were in attendance to provide guests with information and resources on disability justice, domestic violence prevention and intervention, and additional sexual health resources.
YAP showcased a variety of zines, from Trans Safety in relation to COVID-19 to prison health.
“Let’s be blunt… we like to fornicate as humans,” said YAP rep Kris Hill on the show’s importance. “If we can’t talk about it, we shouldn’t be doing it. So I think it’s very important to have a space where we can talk about it, turn condoms into fashion, and learn about condoms.”
They say there is still societal shame around these conversations that must be addressed to increase positive outcomes. Alongside providing literacy, YAP rep Nailah Hill walked in the show, presenting a design inspired by abortion rights.
Healthy Sexuality Project Coordinator at Temple’s Institute on Disabilities, Nova McGiffert, came to uplift sexual health for everyone with engaging resources like boundaries dice to set up conversations around consent.
“This is my first time (at the show), but it is a good way to bring in joy and education, also to help people really feel good about themselves and feel celebrated,” McGiffert said.
Tamika Tucker came out to support her son, Landon, who walked in the show as a model and gained new insights. “The show was beautiful—from the vendors, to the food, to the information—and I learned about some new laws that are going into play.”
Landon said the show was a lot of fun and that he’s looking forward to doing it again next year.
To close the event, Outland invited the Widener University Iconic Era Urban Modeling Troupe.
In line with intersecting fashion with social justice, she calls the troupe’s existence “amazing within itself.”
Outland connects the dots, saying, “A lot of people don’t understand that the style of Black modeling is different from the standard modeling style. Black HBCUs and stuff actually created this style of walk.”
Coming out of the event, Outland hopes the show steps into the light of the org’s tagline, showing folks that fashion is “more than a look.” She also encourages people to use fashion to “take up space” in conversations where they are traditionally excluded.
“Advocacy doesn’t look one way,” she said. “And Prevention Meets Fashion is proof of that.”
Rasheed Z. Ajamu is Germantown Info Hub‘s engagement reporter. Their work blends service journalism with a place-based lens, tracking how local policy, development, arts + culture, and neighborhood institutions shape neighbors’ everyday lives. They’re also invested in community archiving and public media projects that help neighbors preserve and share Germantown stories.