By Haritha Lakshmanan
Fashion, friendship, and food. These were some of the highlights of the fashion show hosted by the Brooklyn College Korean Culture Club and the Anime Manga Club on Wednesday, Mar. 29. Channeling their favorite anime characters and K-pop bands, students showed up with their customized looks on the runway.
The BC Anime Manga Club is a student organization where members can bond over anime, or animation originating from Japan, and read manga, a specific style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels. BCAM strives to be an inclusive club. “The beauty of our club is that anyone can enjoy these mediums of storytelling and enjoyment,” said incoming vice president of BCAM and sophomore Gianni James Cooper.
The Brooklyn College Korean Culture Club, which was widely active prior to COVID-19, embraces and promotes awareness of Korean culture. Through their collaboration, the clubs intended to bring back a community between their circles on campus. Both organizations have co-hosted events together in the past, with this year’s members aiming to rekindle their friendship through the fashion show and recruit more students.
The fashion show featured walks by both students who wished to compete and by non-competitors. “I loved it when the crowd started chanting for various members in the audience to join. The sudden spike in energy was amazing,” said treasurer of BCAM and junior Uriel Daluz. There were also winners announced at the fashion show.
The event had predetermined rules to protect the professionalism and privacy of everyone attending to ensure that members had fun while also being safe. Several students joined the fashion fun, including other clubs from the West End Building. Both host clubs wanted to broaden their reach of students, even those who are not familiar with the Asian-rooted media of anime and Korean pop music.
“Rather than the Anime Manga Club being an identity-based club, this club is based on preference, which makes our club vast and multicultural. I hope for our club to be a safe and loving environment where everyone can have fun and have confidence in themselves,” explained president of the BC Anime Manga Club and senior Amara Minott.
For her club specifically, Minott aims to collectively debunk the “dweeb” or socially inept persona that anime-lovers are often stereotyped to have. “There are a few negative connotations towards anime and manga lovers in all communities, and our club is working to change that. People fail to recognize just how many people love anime and manga in all communities,” she said.
Later in the semester, the Anime Manga Club is planning to host several events, such as a masquerade ball and a Maid Café, where they hope that interested students can attend. BCAM is open to collaborations with other clubs and helping out with events across campus. Most recently, members joined forces with the American Sign Language Club, the Esports and Gaming Club, Nu Omega Chi, the CreaCo, the Composers Collective, the KCC, and many other clubs.
“Our main goal is to establish a safe and supportive environment that extends beyond our club and into the BC community,” said Cooper.