Diamanté explores creativity and self-expression by way of vogue

For college students concerned, Diamanté is illustration, confidence, and transcendence in equal measure. As Georgetown’s solely vogue showcase centered on “the voices and tales of Black and Brown queer creatives,” Diamanté is an annual spectacle that has grow to be an integral a part of the campus inventive scene. 

Since its founding in 2018, the present has remained totally student-led. 

Although Diamanté focuses totally on that includes designer items from throughout the DMV and East Coast, this 12 months, the present features a designer from as far-off as California. The 2025 efficiency will happen on the Georgetown College Lodge Ballroom on April 13.

A spotlight of Diamanté is its dynamic theme. From 2023’s “A Muse is Born” to “Mosaic of Self” final 12 months, the present relentlessly explores the complicated and numerous nature of id, encouraging people to specific themselves with confidence. This 12 months’s theme, “Fantasy vs. Actuality,” serves as a continuation of Diamanté’s legacy. On one hand, it highlights the group’s roots, honoring queer folks of coloration and Ballroom tradition, an underground queer subculture from the Seventies. However, the theme envisions a future for the neighborhood with immense prospects to thrive.

“[Diamanté is] meant to be a secure, inventive, queer house for Georgetown college students of coloration,” Justin Goris (CAS ’25), the co-director of the present, stated. “That’s the center of Diamanté. We have been tossing round concepts about find out how to incorporate that and convey it again to what it was initially meant to be, and we landed on Fantasy vs. Actuality. Primarily, imagining a world for your self and making that actuality.”

Diamanté’s energy to reimagine and redefine oneself is probably going why the present attracts so many college students. Creatives in Diamanté come from all Georgetown faculties and have myriad pursuits however are bonded by way of their shared ardour for vogue.

Saima Jean-Louis (MSB ’28), certainly one of Diamanté’s fashions, stated the present fascinated her even earlier than she arrived as a freshman. 

“I got here right here throughout Hoya Saxa Weekend, and our group took us to the Diamanté present,” she stated. “I used to be simply amazed by it. I used to be like, ‘wow, I have to be a part of this after I come to Georgetown.’”

For mannequin Jada Dickerson (SOH ’27), the present supplies an opportunity to discover the inventive facet of herself with conviction and creativeness. 

“It’s probably not widespread to search out college students who’re into inventive extracurriculars on campus,” Dickerson stated. “It’s an excellent stress relie[ver] for me, to not be in an setting the place it’s biochemistry analysis labs every single day. It’s actually good to come back to observe and be capable to let go.”

Diamanté will not be restricted to solely Georgetown college students, having gathered curiosity in faculties throughout the DMV. Collaborating with different universities within the space, the present sparks innovation and dialogue not solely inside, but additionally throughout faculties. This 12 months, the showcase is working with fashions from Howard College.

“The dedication that these Howard college students have been placing in is truthfully type of superb. They’ll journey from the alternative facet of D.C. to come back to Georgetown for practices, they’ll come for fittings, and so they’ll come for tabling,” Goris stated. “It’s much less about coming to Georgetown and extra so [about] coming collectively to create this present that they’re captivated with.” 

This collaboration is especially private to Goris, who transferred from Howard to Georgetown in spring 2022. For Goris, it was a problem to navigate expression and pupil engagement coming from Howard, the place the inventive scene is far bigger. 

“[Howard’s] setting fosters college students’ creativity and entrepreneurship, whereas Georgetown’s fosters the mental facet of scholars, which is what I discovered essentially the most troublesome about acclimating to Georgetown’s setting,” Goris stated. “I used to be so used to feeding this inventive facet of me that the mental facet of me was type of taking a again seat. And so coming right here, I needed to rewire my mind just a little bit to modify roles.”

With Georgetown’s restricted emphasis on arts and self-expression, Goris stated, it can be crucial for areas like Diamanté to exist as an outlet for college kids to discover their id.

“In fact, we’ve got plenty of the pre-professional organizations, that are nice… They provide the expertise you want after you allow undergrad. However there’s a lot extra to folks,” stated Goris. “There are such a lot of different pursuits, and to have even one house or two to a few areas the place college students can come and specific their curiosity in vogue or images or modeling or something, and create that neighborhood, has been actually particular.”

Diamanté is greater than only a vogue present. In some ways, it’s a connection. This 12 months, it’s a liaison between Howard and Georgetown, between the previous and the long run, between mind and creativity, and between Black and Brown queer creatives and the world round them. 

When requested, “How would you describe Diamanté?”

“Transcendent,” Goris replied after deep contemplation. “College students can come and get what they anticipated, but additionally go away getting one thing that they by no means thought they have been gonna get.”