Runway to heaven

Models strut down a makeshift catwalk.

One by one, they sashayed down the runway wearing “I Vote Jesus” printed shirts.

A fashion show was hosted in the Great Hall on Friday by the Love Is For Everyone (L.I.F.E) Club, a Christian group that focuses on spreading the scripture and giving back through Mercy

Worldwide, an international nonprofit organization. The event featured performances by a jazz duo, a break dancing group, singers, a rapper and artists.

The Mercy Worldwide Organization is backed by the International Christian Church, and students of the L.I.F.E Club are ambassadors of the organization.

The L.I.F.E Club charged a $10 admission fee.

The President of L.I.F.E and Coordinator Carver Bedeau said this event’s core objective was to aid charity work world wide.

“We’ve built 75 water filtration systems in Haiti. We built a clinic in Abidjan. We built an orphanage in Santiago, Chile,” Bedeau said. “There’s amazing things we are doing around the world, and we just want to continue that, but we need more funds to make that happen.”

Bedeau said this was an opportunity for people to show their talents to the community.

“It’s a platform for individuals to showcase the gifts that God gave them,” Bedeau said. “An atmosphere like this produces confidence and produces character. I wanted to create a stage where people can showcase their talents on campus.”

The show had two fashion segments. The first was “Malachi,” a Christian clothing line by Garrett Underwood.

“My objective is to make clothing that represents God,” Underwood said. “‘Malachi’ was the last book of the Old Testament, and he represented a messenger that predicted when Jesus was going to come. I wanted to put messages on my shirts.”

Underwood said his design inspiration for the “I Vote Jesus” shirts rooted from the past presidential election.

“I didn’t want to vote for Trump or Hillary in the election, and I wanted to make a shirt that made that statement,” Underwood said. “We need someone like Jesus to run this country.”

The second fashion segment showcased a line of printed shirts from Mercy Worldwide. Bedeau said he designed the shirts with the message “Know Mercy.”

“This clothing line represents giving back to the community,” Bedeau said. “If you look at the shirt it says ‘Know Mercy,’ not ‘No Mercy,’ but to know mercy.

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