The fashion merchandising and design program at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is taking its turn on the red carpet this month as PBS-North Carolina airs a documentary, “Fashion Forward,” highlighting the impact of Black fashion on culture.
Featuring the fashion programs at N.C. A&T and North Carolina Central University, “Fashion Forward” is available for viewing on the Black Issues Forum web page and will appear on the HBCU Week NOW YouTube Channel @HBCUWeekNOW. The documentary first appeared on the Black Issues Forum program Friday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. on PBS NC and the PBS app.
The presentation is part of HBCU Week, a public media partnership that offers content about the history, legacy, cultural heritage and degree programs offered by Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the nation.
Filmmaker Torrance Hill, founder and owner of Noir Prism Studios and a graduate of Howard University, found N.C. A&T’s fashion program while looking for a new way to highlight an art program from a North Carolina HBCU for the PBS event.
“I aimed to avoid clichés, such as marching bands or gospel choirs, as those programs are well-known for their excellence,” he said. “What stood out to me about this program was its dual emphasis on both fashion design and merchandising. It equips students with the necessary skills to become significant players in the fashion industry, including the financial aspects.”
Hill also learned that fashion merchandising and design professor Devona Dixon, Ph.D. was the 2024 recipient of the UNC Board of Governors Teaching Excellence Award and is well-versed in the role fashion plays at Black colleges.
“Having taught the history of fashion for over a decade, and as an HBCU alumna myself, I have witnessed how fashion on these campuses embodies cultural pride, self-expression and innovation,” she said. “HBCU fashion is deeply rooted in heritage and shapes broader style movements, from campus traditions to the global influence of streetwear.”
Haleigh Aldridge, who is the current president of the fashion merchandising and design program’s student club Fashion Xcetera, shares her thoughts about HBCU fashion for the documentary.
The short documentary also features two N.C. A&T students, junior fashion merchandising and design major Tyler Cozart, who started his own clothing line, Walking Ticket, during the pandemic; and Haleigh Aldridge, a fashion merchandising and political science major who is serving as president of student club Fashion X-Cetera.
N.C. Central University’s fashion program is also featured. Tukii Tucker, an NCCU alumnus, won a fashion competition using shirts designed by the late André Leon Talley, which earned him a feature in Ebony magazine. He is currently working on designs for the business Local Style Chips in Chicago.
“Fashion has great significance at historically Black colleges and universities, and the fashions we embrace are often reflected in other areas, particularly television and film,” Hill said. “Its influence extends far beyond campus. It shapes culture and style on a global scale.”
