Rockford fashion show to highlight ensembles students created and sewed themselves
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — An upcoming fashion show will put students on the runway to showcase the creative ensembles they’ve designed and sewn themselves.
The show, which features the work of students at Cleta’s Stay & Sew, is slated for 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Ethnic Heritage Museum, 1129 S. Main St. The show is free to attend, but donations are appreciated. It’s funded through a donation from the Dean Alan Olson Foundation.
Some of the students who will be featured at the show are Kailee Hoard, Yanelli Rios, Yarelli Ortega, Tia Miller, Olivia Harris, Myella Woods, Annelle Price, Ariah Lynn Tennin, Zaniah Gray, Zabrina Gray, Zackary Gray and Zaundre Dameron, among others.
Collettia Berryhill, who students know as Miss Cleta, has previously hosted fashion shows at her shop, 1029 S. Main St., as the culmination of free classes she offers to teach youth and young adults the art of sewing.
They use fabric from the shop to create a variety of ensembles, including vibrant ethnic and Afrocentric clothing. Looks can range from tops and skirts to gowns.
“It’s about providing young people with hands-on experience and skills they can carry forward. Under Miss Cleta’s mentorship, the youth are learning to sew their own fashions — a lifelong skill with real career potential,” Rockford Alderwoman Aprel Prunty told the Rock River Current after a previous fashion show in October.
This weekend’s fashion show is being held at Ethnic Heritage Museum in conjunction with a Black History Month exhibit that details the history of Ruben’s Pharmacy, which is now owned by Berryhill and the home of Cleta’s Stay & Sew.
The pharmacy was opened in 1925 by Oscar Hodel and his brother Elmer. Hodel retired in 1967 and pharmacist Menroy Mills took over.
Mills founded the Ethnic Heritage Museum and served as its first executive director. When he retired in 1978, he sold the pharmacy to Ruben Samuel, who operated it until his death in 2019.
Berryhill, Samuel’s sister, turned it into Cleta’s Stay & Sew in late 2022.
Fashion show | If you go
When: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15
Where: Ethnic Heritage Museum, 1129 S. Main St., Rockford
Info: 815-962-7402; ethnicheritagemuseum.org
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
