In proms, the custom is dress to impress. A student, however, takes this measure to extra lengths when she dressed to express a powerful subject matter.
Seventeen-year-old Milan Bolden-Morris graced her prom night in a Black Lives Matter-inspired gown adorned with the faces of high-profile victims of violence and injustice. The Florida-based teen commemorated the lives of Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Michael Brown and others, according to NBC News.
Designer Terrance Torrence tailored the gown for Bolden-Morris in hopes of the victims' legacy to live on years after their death. "Let's just never forget the stories. What's done is done but let's not forget," Torrence said.
The designer said Martin's death inspired him to create the dress. Torrence grew at West Palm Beach area, only an hour away from Miami Gardens, Martin's hometown.
A post shared by Terrence Torrence (@terrencetorrence) on Apr 24, 2017 at 10:16pm PDT
Hence, Torrence emblazoned Martin's face in the middle of the dress as its centerpiece. Along with Martin, Bland and Brown were 13 other black lives lost due to officer-involved incidents.
Bolden-Morris said the idea came from Torrence and she was happy to express the designer's idea. The basketball star, who was set to go to Boston College, said that she was "blessed to have helped him convey the message that he wanted to convey."
Torrence, who has a knack for sewing and graphic designing, said that his idea of creating a gown ornamented with black people's faces came last year, per Buzzfeed. The fashion artist-designer said he waited for a year and found Bolden-Morris to be the perfect girl for his concept.
The powerful dress received a lot of praises across the internet. Bolden-Morris and Torrence were most of all elated to discover that Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, loved the gown.
Torrence added that he wanted to add more faces on the gown but he had to cut down. He said if he could only add more, then he would — a sad reality he recognized himself for fellow black people who are often the prey of cop violence and injustice.
