The International Modeling Society held an open model call for their upcoming fall show, “Fashionable by Association: Take Two” last Thursday. The call, which was a closed casting, was held in the atrium of the student union building. Each auditioning model came prepared to walk, dressed in simple clothing such as blue jeans, black tops, or all black.
The long floor space was transformed into a mock runway and each model strutted before a panel of roughly six judges, which included members of the IMS executive board, Kurlyn Honore, Genvieve Rolle, and Mekayel Luke to name a few. With an upbeat Caribbean beat playing loudly in the background, it was up to each person who auditioned to make their personality and confidence overcast the vibrant tunes.IMS is one of the premier modeling groups on campus. IMS focuses solely on directing shows and bringing forth a clean expression of their fashion views. Although IMS has been popular amongst the different groups on campus there has been a common misconception concerning the diversity of their group.
“IMS opens its doors to everyone, not just international students,” said IMS President, Mekayel Luke.
During the call, diversity was in full affect. Men and women of all shades, height measurements and backgrounds gathered with one common interest in mind: fashion. As I walked around, I spoke with a few of the auditioning models.
In the nicely air conditioned space, the heat of competition was high. The air was blended with nerves and confidence.
“I am very nervous because they want me to keep a simple walk, but I like their group because they are very professional,” said Meinka Harris of Chicago.
” I like this group because they are different, but my overall feel tonight is nervous,” said Josiah Williams of San Diego, Calif.
While some were jittery, others were confident in their performance.
“The tryout was nice, professional, and all the judges gave positive feedback by clapping for each of us after we tried out,” said Mykal Chu a Louisiana Tech student and native of DeRidder.
“I wanted to be cast for the next show. IMS, in my opinion, is the best active group period and I want to be a part of something great,” said Dorian Harris of Washington, D.C.
After the audition was over, the IMS board met and after a few minutes, presented their final cut of 20.
“I am proud of each one of you. I’m ready to get to work. We’re the premier, the real deal,” said Luke.
“I am very happy because we picked a good group and we don’t have a lot of work to do when it comes to teaching them how to walk. We can put all of our time into making this show a success. I am pleased,” said Honore.
As the space cleared and the tension was broken, smiles remained.
“I feel great about making it. IMS brings something new. They are very unique and their style is original,” said Michael Bowden of Ruston.
As the doors closed, Luke stood in the empty room and let his words echo.
“Get ready for a real fashion show!