Lights off, music on and a woman adorned in a red satin Cheongsam, or flower printed Chinese dress, takes the stage. Following her footsteps is a man dressed in a simple yet elegant Tibet robe that is as white as the lights surrounding him. In the background, the ancient tribal songs of Nigeria create a distinctive rhythm for the models.

While the performance may not have been your average fashion show, Europa Club made history on Wednesday in Gregory Hall with its first ever Global Couture Fashion Show. Dozens of students gathered to witness the mosaic of century-old styles, the diverse twists of international fashion design and the undeniable satisfaction that each model felt as they rocked their own native attire in a show sure to drop jaws.

“I really think more people should know about all the diversity on campus,” said Holly Rosenberger, senior in ACES. “You wouldn’t really think a person sitting next to you is from Saudi Arabia, so it was really good to get that out there.”

The Global Couture Fashion Show not only provided a vivid outlook on the general wardrobe devised by 12 different countries, but it also allowed students to express themselves in a form of teaching their peers about their background and culture. It took a spin on the idea that fashion is more than meets the eye. It portrays geographic origins just like people’s lives do.

“The overall purpose was for people who are from these countries and have these cultures to demonstrate what their culture can show in the forms of what they wear and maybe help educate people more or just show off their vibrant, different styles and colors of clothing,” Jonathan Bennison, junior in LAS said.

The students represented their country’s attire in the purest way possible: They brought their own pieces to model to their audience members, said Lauren Turk, senior in LAS. While watching, some would expect that the pieces were ordered, sewn or purchased before the show. In fact, the items were selected from each individual’s personal wardrobe, Turk said.

“Each participant is from that country, so that’s why I reached out to the international RSOs because that’s how you can find people that are on campus for either their Ph.D. or their doctorate that still have their traditional clothing with them from their home country,” Turk said.

Models were given the task to select what they considered significant in their culture and strut this selection on the stage ­— with no type of preparation or practice. This way, participants gave a professional, yet natural, looking performance, reflecting one of the major goals of the event — to proudly show student diversity.

“I felt that from the collection I had, lace was more representative of what we wear, and I felt like if I want to display a fabric, I’ll pick something that you can’t get easily in the United States,” said Esther Eke, a graduate student in Engineering who is originally from Nigeria. “I just improvised. I came here and (modeled) it. This was the first time I’ve ever done it.”

Many of the items modeled were one of a kind pieces. Globally, each piece came from a difference part of the world — many of which did not include Europe.

“It’s funny because as we are the Europa Club, the majority of the countries in the show were not in Europe,” said Turk. “If I had it my way, I would have everybody be in the show but it was just whoever had the time, had the interest and had the clothes.”