Susan Brown walked down the runway with confidence, showing off an ensemble from The Black Scintilla as if she were a high-fashion supermodel.
The clothing she wore — a stylish pink trench coat and chic skinny jeans — represented more than fashion trends.
Just six months ago, Brown sat in jail after committing a drug-related offense. The garments she modeled at the “Transformation Fashion Event and Luncheon” helped symbolize the new life she has embraced with the aid of The Education and Employment Ministry known as TEEM.
Brown and others with similar testimonies were the stars at TEEM's recent fundraising event at the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club. The highlight of the Nov. 28 benefit was the fashion show featuring the TEEM models who showed off clothing from local boutiques like The Black Scintilla, Mode, Blue Seven, Rosegold and The Library, a clothing rental startup. Before donning their new outfits, the excited models received makeovers from local stylists from The Eden Salon & Spas.
Megan Scott, TEEM's development director, said the fashion show was an opportunity to focus on all of the successes of individuals who overcame a litany of challenges to re-enter society after incarceration. TEEM works to help individuals coming out of incarceration and poverty by providing them with educational opportunities, legal assistance, job placement, personal development and work readiness training.
“I think it shows the beauty of our participants better than anything I can ever do or say because everybody deserves the opportunity to shine,” she told the luncheon crowd.
TEEM board member Terri Cornett, who served as the event's mistress of ceremonies, gave a brief description of the models' lives before they became involved with TEEM.
“That was then, this is now,” she said before encouraging Brown, Chip Grimmett, Antone Williams and seven other individuals to each take their turn on the runway.
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