Black Excellence: Florida A&M University Marching Band Performs At Louis Vuitton’s Fashion Show In France

Florida A&M University’s marching band performed at Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring/Summer 2023 show.

On Thursday, the fashion brand gave FAMU’s Marching 100 band an opportunity to showcase their skills in Paris, France.

Ahead of the big trip, a few of the band members gave spoke about the historic moment. Drum major Jarvis Rittman says, “I’m honored to be one of the members selected. Not only to represent Florida A&M University but also America at the Louis Vuitton Fashion Show. It’s a new experience for me being from Quincy, Florida. It’s very new to me.”

Clarinet player Kimieka Dunkley added, “It is going to be stressful, but it’s a great responsibility. It’s something we are going to have to put all our efforts in. I am happy to be part of this hard-working team.”

Overall, 35 members of the band were selected to participate in the event. They were also accompanied by a dozen staff members.

The major news was initially announced in early June. The Marching 100 left the states for the performance on Saturday and were practicing hard ever since.

FAMU’s Director of Bands said, “I’m just so excited for our students to have this opportunity. It’s a credit to our band students and to our institution to do everything to promote the FAMU brand.”

The Assistant Director of Marketing and Pep Bands also spoke on the opportunity.

“You cannot do a major thing without teamwork,” he began. “For the shining stars of the school, the Marching 100, to be able to do this, it’s great. Louis Vuitton said, ‘We want to do this.’ They asked, ‘What are your issues? If you can get over here, we will take care of you.’”

He continued, “They wanted to have that representation here. It speaks to the legacy of the FAMU Marching 100 that they were willing to invest in this group of American students.”