Wednesday evening was Penn State Behrend’s first ever What the World Wears fashion show, hosted by the International Student Organization (ISO) in Reed 117, the auditorium in the Reed Union Building.

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The event showcased a team of ISO members dressed in traditional attire from around the world, ranging from the elegant floral patterns of a Japanese kimono to the rugged plaid folds of a Scottish kilt. Those in attendance were also treated to a side table complete with various snack items from cultures around the world.

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“This is one of the several things that this E-board has kinda done to try to step out and do things different from things that have been done in the past, because I don’t remember last year us doing anything like this. We’re trying to come up with new ideas to kinda just make our own individual statement as a group on ISO,” said sophomore Dylan Free, a member of ISO’s executive board.

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During the show, a PowerPoint presentation was displayed broadcasting the history and cultural significance of each article of clothing. Members of ISO wearing each specific outfit would model their attire and present their personal research to the audience.

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“ISO is trying to encourage more of things within the culture. Instead of just a country, we’re trying to represent within those countries, like clothing, which is one of the ideas we had,” said senior Kyler Raines, the vice president of the organization.

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During the stressful process, members of the organization remained positive. Some, like junior and ISO president Hector Rios, even considered the event to be a success. “The concerns were well worth it. We ended up adding some things that worked out, so it’s always good to be a little concerned…We might have even exceeded expectations in some regards,” explained Rios.

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Freshman Samuel Andrew attended the event and described it as an interesting learning experience. “I was only there for part of it, but it’s interesting to hear how different religions and different forms of government and shape how they wear things… I felt like I was in the company of good people,” said Andrew.

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Perhaps the most integral goal of the organization in hosting the fashion show was to eradicate harmful stereotypes about international students and cultures.  

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“Anywhere you go, there’s people that misunderstand people that are different from them, and there are some people that might be afraid to approach someone because they are a different skin color or they dress differently or if they speak differently. That’s not saying that they’re bad people but there’s just some things that you can’t help but kind of feel weird cause you’re approaching something that isn’t something you’re used to, so I feel like actually being able to expose yourself to new things and different people is the only way to really combat that,” explained Free.

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The ISO hopes the event educated those in attendance about the various cultural aspects within countries.

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“It’s not like ‘Oh, here’s Italy or something, they eat Italian food’. There’s more that comes to it, and I think ISO, and MCC as a whole, does good representing that there are different parts within those countries. ISO, that’s what we’re trying to do more often is to represent those different things that are within those countries,” said Raines.

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Considering both the successes and failures associated with the ISO’s first time hosting the fashion show, Rios hopes to improve student participation should the organization decide to host the event again. Both he and Raines theorize that a direct student approach may be the answer to acquiring the increased attendance.

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“The idea would be that the people presenting would be other students, and that the clothing that they’re wearing is actually from their home and their home culture, so we get to learn it from them as opposed to looking up information and going off of that… Every meeting and event is always open to whoever wants to come, and so we look for participation from anyone who offers it,” said Rios.

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The ISO hosts regular meetings on Wednesdays at 7:30 in Reed 117 where those in attendance are treated to presentations or games that educate students about different cultures around the world. Members of the student body are encouraged to become involved with the ISO and MCC in any capacity.

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”It’s always important to have representation of other cultures and to be exposed to it, and for anyone with that curious edge that wants to find out things about other people, we’re from a certain country and we expect certain things, and it’s good to just be exposed to other perspectives, other cultural perspectives,” explained Rios.