Oakland’s Homecoming Fashion Show Spotlights Black Designers

In 2018, Q’oy Dill left San Francisco and took their imagination and ambition to New York City. After working as a stylist in the dynamic fashion capital, they’re back in the Bay, bringing home some “New York flavor” with them.

Dill is making their debut as a designer at Jus Vibe’s Homecoming Fashion Show on Feb. 20 at 2201 Poplar Street in West Oakland.

“I just really want people to view it and take away the playfulness of it all,” Dill says of their collection. “The playfulness of just being a human and that it’s actually OK to wear colors.”

Founded by Morgan Lewis a year ago, Jus Vibe was created as a space for Black and brown communities to connect. The concept for the fashion show took shape when Lewis met designer Erynn Lynn Ruiz through one of their events and brought her on as a co-curator.

Inspired by homecoming celebrations at historically Black colleges and universities, Lewis and Ruiz wanted to replicate that community feel in the Bay Area during Black History Month. The event will feature a runway show with four Black designers, plus drinks, light bites, artist vendors and live music.

“We are going to be talking about Black excellence and what that means in our community as a whole,” Ruiz said. “Morgan and I are hoping that at the end of this event, you’ll learn something new about the Black diaspora … and what it means to honor and cherish your ancestors.”

For their debut, Dill will focus on hats, an intergenerational project with their aunt, who Dill would often see knitting and crocheting when they were growing up. Their work experiments with height, structure and bright colors, creating a strong, noticeable presence atop the head. The hats augment the wearer’s silhouette to challenge assumptions about race and gender.

“A lot of my work is rooted in examining how clothing is a tool used to transcend or evoke a racialized experience,” Dill says.

They plan to style each hat with clothes from the models’ own closets to emphasize their individuality.

“I’m also just making sure that [the models] feel good,” Dill says. “For me, a big part of it is being able to play with this idea of what it means to be a queer Black person existing in America.”

Alongside Dill, Oakland native Marc Allen will also showcase his work at the Homecoming Fashion Show. Deemed the “most authentic designer” in Jus Vibe’s senior superlative-style distinction, his deconstructed style stems from the instinctual drive to create whenever inspiration strikes.

“That fuel is emotional,” Allen says.

Growing up in an artistic household surrounded by music and dance, Allen carved his own way into the visual arts. Photography, graphic design and painting became his media of choice, and clothing soon followed.

Those around Allen describe his work as a futuristic approach to the Black experience. While this framing isn’t intentional on Allen’s part, his process reflects it. As a designer who doesn’t sew, he reworks garments into something new.

Allen utilizes grommets, safety pins and fabric paint to create raw, abstract designs. His own personal style consists of clothing that he’s altered in some way, reflecting the same improvisational approach he brings to his collection.

“I can wear my art around people and into events, but you can’t really carry around a canvas,” Allen said. “I think that the best part of fashion is the fact that I can express myself through my clothing, something I wear every day.”

Jus Vibe’s Homecoming Fashion Show will take place on Feb. 20 at 2201 Poplar Street, Oakland.