The Bowdoin Asian Students Association last weekend presented its annual ASA Fashion Show. A tradition on Bowdoin’s campus since the late 1980s, the show every year is a well-attended event. In recent years, the show has coincided with accepted students’ “Experience Weekend” as a way to welcome prospective students to Bowdoin.

The fashion show is designed to show off the diversity of Bowdoin students. “The ASA Fashion Show started as a way to showcase the diverse talents and culture of Bowdoin students,” said ASA Senior Class Representative Peggy Zhao ’13. “We entertain Bowdoin students through a showcase of traditional costumes of different cultures, dance performances and a music performance.”

The ASA has been working all semester to organize and produce the show. “All members of ASA will pull together to work on different aspects of the show, but the president, Peng Luoqian ’13, and vice presidents Kathryn Lin ’15 and Courtney Chuang ’15, have been working hard to make sure it all runs smoothly,” Zhao explained.

This year, 49 students participated as models in five different sections. Some of these sections are standard for the show, such as “World,” where students model clothing from around the world. This year, Zhao invented a new section, “Doppelgangers,” where students on campus who look alike walked down the runway together.

In between modeling sections, student dance groups performed pieces prepared for the event.

Taiko, a Japanese drumming group, opened the show with a staged drum fight between two members of the group. The Bowdoin Cheerleading Squad, ballet group Arabesque, African dance group Intersection, breakdance group Broken and lyrical hip-hop group EleMental also performed.

The show closed with a knock-out performance by hip hop group Obvious.

“They always pull together such amazing performances for the ASA Fashion Show,” Zhao said of all the groups, “and they are always fun to watch.”