Under the lights of the Coliseum, students of Oakland Tech’s Fashion, Arts, and Design Academy (FADA) strutted the runway in the October 10 Oakland Roots soccer game halftime fashion show.
Originating as a fashion contest, the Oakland Roots collaborated with ThredUp, an online consignment and thrift store based in the Bay Area to create opportunities for 14-26 year olds in Oakland to create designs and submit them. The winners were featured in a fashion show during the Oakland Roots final home match in October of 2025.
This year, the upcycled fashion show has taken a different form. It is a collaboration with Oakland School for the Arts (OSA), Oakland Tech, and California College of the Arts (CCA). Students from schools like OSA had been working on their outfits for months, while FADA students only began their projects in August.
Due to the upcycled theme of the fashion show, the base of all outfits for the events were old Roots jerseys. The Roots logo and jersey colors were incorporated into each outfit, with the designers adding their own unique share of frills, flair, and extravagance.
During the process of sketching and bringing their ideas to life, the FADA students had help from Nelda Kerr, director of community engagement for the Roots and previous OUSD educator, as well as Leo Ford, a longtime fashion designer and creative. Additionally, students had the support of their peers.
“I’ve seen other people work together, where one person makes the outfit, and then the other person wears it,” said FADA senior Vi Huynh. “I’ve also seen, where they work on an outfit together, or they do matching outfits.”
The fashion show is a part of a larger initiative, “ShowUp!” This collaboration between the Oakland Unified School District and the Oakland Roots was born to highlight the importance of school attendance as well as the experiences and talents of OUSD students.
Alongside the fashion show, there is the Wearable Tech competition where students created wearable tech using Oakland Soul jerseys. Finalists were displayed at numerous events at the Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul double-header this past summer. Other initiatives include OUSD band and orchestra performances at games and equal ticketing access for students.
On the day of the fashion show, students began their day early, arriving at the Coliseum at 12 pm in preparation for their 7:45 pm debut during the halftime show. They rehearsed walking down the runway in their outfits and then headed over to hair and makeup to get ready for a pre-show photoshoot.
Soon enough, it was time for the young designers to exhibit their creations to an audience of nearly 10,000 people. Many students, like Rose Liu, a senior in FADA, had nerves coursing through them as they walked out. Liu originally did not plan on doing the show but was convinced by her teacher, and did not regret it.
“It was exhilarating,” explained Liu. “I’ve never had an experience like this, it’s definitely one of those opportunities that I’m so glad that I didn’t miss out on.”
Although this fashion show may be the last for a while, forseeing the Coliseums permanent closure this December, this is not the end for students’ creativity and work in fashion. FADA students got the opportunity to reach beyond the classroom and onto the runway to bring their designs to life, all while gaining experience that may inspire a lifetime of creative pursuits in the fashion world.