Middle school and high school age boys will have the opportunity to learn how to dress for success Saturday, April 1 at The Packard in Downtown Long Beach.
“Duke Givens Presents: Change Your Clothes, Change Your Culture, Change Your Life,” will be a history lesson on fashion trends of the past 100 years, from the colorful suits of the 1920s and the zoot suits of the 1940s to the slim cut style of today.
“[It’s] basically a little tutorial and a little history lesson about the importance of fashion and… as they’re getting older, preparing them to be interview ready,” Givens said.
Givens, a local photographer, documentary filmmaker and member of the Long Beach Arts Council, said that he wants to teach young men the importance of dressing well.
“I have a guy from Men’s Warehouse and a few other places who are going to come out and talk to them about how their pants should fall on their shoes and how [their] shirt should come out of [their] suit jacket,” he added.
Every boy who attends Saturday’s fashion show will receive a free tie, which have been donated by various members of the community.
Givens said that the boys will most likely be split up into pairs and will be taught how to tie a basic knot.
In addition to Givens, Jermaine Harris from the Long Beach Male Academy will be on site to talk to the boys about being gatekeepers and dressing for success.
Harris and Givens both work with the Long Beach Male Academy, a Long Beach Unified School District program that aims to improve the graduation rates and college readiness of minority youth through academics and positive relationships.
While the target audience for Saturday’s event is middle and high school age boys, anyone is invited to attend.
“Duke Givens Presents: Change Your Clothes, Change Your Culture, Change Your Life,” runs from 3:00PM to 6:00PM Saturday and admission is free.
The Packard is located at 205 East Anaheim Street.
Thumbnail photo courtesy of Duke Givens.