The BARE show was anything but bland or boring. The message of the show spoke loudly and the impact on the participants and it’s audience spoke even louder.
In its third year, One of a Kind Baton Rouge Fashion Week held it’s memorable BARE Fashion Show last week.
It was the first of the two adult fashion shows during the week-long event, followed by the Big Night Fashion Show the day after.
The BARE show primarily focused on encouraging its participants and viewers to embrace the skin they’re in. All of the models in the show were bare-faced without makeup, a true test in confidence for some (including myself). The models had to confidently bare their stretch marks, acne scars, scratches, bruises, and age.
Model Meagan Harrison, 30, feared because of her age she wouldn’t be a good candidate to model in OBRFW.
“My friend assured me they took any age and any size, so I went for it and surprisingly enough got chosen,” Harrison said.
As a model for this year’s show, I shared her feelings of hesitance.
Modeling alongside 50 plus models all flawed in our own ways, I was challenged to bare the discoloration of my skin remaining from my lifelong battle with eczema.
Growing up, I looked at my eczema as a disadvantage or shackle. I knew that as long as I had eczema, I would forever be restricted and not be able to model.
Fortunately, I was wrong.
With bare-faced models and no extravagant hair styles, the BARE show reminded me and the other models that the show wasn’t about them, but the garments.
“Wearing a bare face was very liberating to me as a woman, because I was not being judged by my appearance, but I was solely being judged on the attire I was wearing,” Harrison said.
The BARE show also acted as more than a fashion show, but as a form of activism. Each model that walked the cross-shaped runway at the LSU Museum of Art broke the often heard stereotypes that models are unflawed and perfect-bodied.
“I was particularly interested in the BARE Fashion Show because it really shows natural beauty and says you don’t need anything to cover up, but to just embrace what you already have,” said model Candace Hampton.
Designers were excited to show their lines on their bare-faced subjects.
Designer of HD Bling, Dana Ayo said, “I had a variety of models (as far as sizes are concerned) because we do want to let all women of all sizes know that they can wear the nice girly tees as well.”
Other designers at the BARE show included, Antionette Couture, Chokolat Creme, Francesca’s Boutique on Perkins Rowe, iME, and more.
“Working with OBRFW has given me great exposure,” Ayo said. “We’ve been featured in a couple of local magazines and news stations and it’s given me an opportunity that I wouldn’t have had if I wasn’t apart of it.”
The designs of the BARE show varied significantly.
The designers had their own themes for their individual lines. Some of the designers showcased special garments from previous lines, while others revealed their newest garments.
Antionette Couture featured black and white pieces alongside olive and multi-colored snake skin garments. Chokolat Creme displayed street style apparel with statement t-shirts, tutus, and knee highs. Francesca’s Boutique on Perkins Rowe dressed their models in prints, see-through cover ups, and other beach attire.
Audience member Bridget Lavigne said, “I appreciated the fashion show director’s move to highlight the natural beauty that comes from all of us and it’s refreshing to see models in a bare state.”

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Madeline Rathle