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MIDVALE — Women representing 20 countries from across the world took to the catwalk at a fundraising event Wednesday to show why things that make us all different are, in fact, beautiful and worth celebrating.
"I saw a lot of women coming from different countries, wearing their own traditional clothes and then being pushed away by employers," said Samira Harnish, executive director and founder of Women of the World, a Salt Lake City-based charity organization geared toward empowering forcibly displaced women from across the world as they embark on a new journey and take on the challenges of finding a new home in America.
Harnish immediately noticed a lot of the women who came to her for help to find employment also came to her with stories of facing prejudice and discrimination on account of the traditional garbs they've worn all their lives. This distressing reality served as the impetus for Women of the World's first Fashion Show and Cultural Gala in 2010, as a way to celebrate International Women's Day and a reminder to women of the power of embracing your heritage.
"My first office was in the back of a Honda Pilot," Harnish said, explaining with pride how the organization came from humble beginnings and has grown to become capable of economically empowering immigrant communities in Utah. Women of the World's clients generated $1.8 million for Utah's economy in 2023, she said.
"We started by having the fashion show in the streets, then we moved onto smaller venues and today we have this beautiful venue with 500 people here," Harnish said Wednesday.
The 14th annual Women of the World Fashion Show and Cultural Gala at Zions Bancorporations Technology Center in Midvale on Wednesday reaffirmed its position as the group's largest fundraiser, as tickets sold out a month before the event.
"We want to empower the women we help and show them that they are capable of anything," said My Nguyen, a Women of the World board member. "The women we help came from a lot of hardship and went through a lot of trauma — a lot of them had nothing, and Women of the World was able to help them."
Women of the World helps women who were forced out of their country because of violence, persecution, human rights violations or the collapse of a sustainably safe living environment. The organization offers assistance with job applications, awards scholarships, and hosts English classes and other workshops with the goal of giving forcibly displaced women an environment in which to further their professional development skills.
Attendees at the fashion show watched as 20 models sported fashionable clothing representing their home countries. Midway through, a live auction was held to generate income/donations for the organization.
In all, more than $30,000 was collected through the event for the Women of the World organization.
"I want more people to see that these refugees are human beings just like us, but they are the unfortunate ones who saw the harsher side of life — they are our new neighbors and we need to treat them better," Harnish said, speaking to the ultimate goal of her organization and events like the annual fashion show. "It's important for Utahns to know that they are giving back and to see how resilient and strong they are."
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