CEREBRAL : Fashion Society UCF Magazine Issue III

CEREBRAL FASHION SOCIETY UCF PRESENTS

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CEREBRAL: Fashion Society UCF Magazine Issue III Underlying text, images, and works are contained within works. Names, characters, places, and incidents are used fictitiously. Author(s) and Contributor(s) media includes photography, artwork, and text, contributors own rights to their work.

Copyright © 2021 Fashion Society UCF. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical means, without permission in writing from the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or other non-commercial methods within copyright law.

Front Cover design by Darrell Wright Jr., Kelsey Bauch, & Jackson Ring Back Cover design by Darrell Wright Jr., Kelsey Bauch, & Jackson Ring Publication designed by Reina Nieves, Kelsey Bauch, Joplin Warner, Lysander Mitsouras & Darrell Wright Jr. in Adobe InDesign.

Printed by Printing Center USA, in the United States of America.

First digital & paperback edition April 2021.

Publisher: Fashion Society UCF. Contact: fashionsociety.zine@gmail.com fashionsocietyucf@gmail.com 2

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Our Bodies, Our Vessels constructed through space and time.

The Human stream of consciousness is what directly connects us to the fabrics of reality. It reveals how a full range of thoughts can flow through the mind. The organized chaos, the restlessness, the nothingness; We often find ourselves tangled up within our own thoughts or almost void to feeling them all together. Through this editorial we have created a fluid surreal visual experience in which the mind and body are detached. Conceptualizing Lucid Dreams, Overthinking, intrusive Thoughts, REM, Sleep Paralysis and many other topics centered around Consciousness to showcase the franticness our brains experience on a day to day basis; especially during sleep.

Influenced by notorious avant garde designers such as Alexander McQueen, Cerebral challenges the ideas of normality and what it means to be “human”.

The inability to turn our minds off when we need it most and the surplus feelings that can arise.

Translated through with a disturbing and experimental fashion edge

A Journey through the Mind

An Experimental take on our consciousness.

-Darrell Wright Jr.

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CONT 6.

Dreamland

Drift into your Unconciousness.

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Unholy Distortion

Life is a Cult, be the leader of your own.

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Punishment

of Dark Glamour

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Introspection

Exorcise your demons in moderation.

Taking a good look at yourself.

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Grief

Healing isn’t linear.

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R.E.M.

What Dreams are made of.

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VOID

To be Consumed by it.

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enTs 12. Dreams are the Windows of the Mind

We all Experience another life through our dreams; what if these are actually our reality.

30. Parasite

Infecting the mind with destructive thoughts; is it Futile?

23. Future Forecasting 60. Freedom of Self Expression

Accuratly predicting fashion Trends through correlational analytics.

Plagued by a series of mental health wounds, designers pour their heart into their craft.

9. Personal Prison

Traveling through the 5 stages of Grief.

40. L’Enfant Terrible

Analyzing preverse and macabre catharsis through Alexander Mcqueen’s collections.

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Director: Zulmaris Garcia Models: Hailey Winder and Lainie Jones Photographers: Laura Herrera, Mary Kelly Cardillo & Austin K Koh Photo Editor: Beatriz Quintana Stylists: Ayana Esquivel & Juliette Francis MUA: Emily Haws & Alexandra Sullivan Location Scout: Alberto da Costa e Silva

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DREAMS ARE THE WINDOWS OF THE MIND Kadambari Vyas

What are dreams? What is consciousness? When we are under the anesthesia of sleep, why do we see the things we see?

And if dreams are just inside our head - just a product of numerous synapsing neurons and coursing chemicals - why do they elicit such a powerful, jaw-dropping, emotionally fulfilling response?

We may not know all the answers yet, but the quest to find the truth may be just as compelling and mind-boggling as the explanation itself! What we do know, however, is that no matter our differences - what we like and dislike, where we grew up in the world, how we part our hair in the morning or who we choose to love - dreams inhabit our minds. Whether we are actively immersed in a dream or merely just thinking about the mysterious nature of dreams, they have chosen to make our brains their homely abode. If we think about them this much, surely they must be important; surely they must hold some meaning in our physical reality. I offer another thought: we all experience another life through our dreams, what if these dreams are actually our reality?

The lines between our physical and mental worlds blur even more than you may realize. I implore you to consider three things: one, think about a time in which you were completely immersed in your dream, so much that it felt real. Two, consider the times in which you have daydreamed, or been confused as to whether your memory was actually a dream. Three, ask yourself how much you are impacted by your dreams - whether they cause you to take some sort of action, or take up space in your mind long after you wake. It can be easy to separate ‘dream’ and ‘wake’ into two different boxes, to think of them as two distinct states of being.

However, our subconscious takes everything - the happenings in our outer world (such as our emotions, experiences, interactions) and our inner world (including our deep, unknown secrets) - and creates our physical reality. We think a certain way and act a certain way and define ourselves in a certain way because of our subconscious. We are our minds, through and through. Is it, then, so impossible to consider that the dream and wake duality of our minds might be one and the same?

One great mystery (besides “Why Do We Dream”?) lies in our knowledge of the pineal gland, a small structure in the brain located in the middle of the forehead. More specifically, we only know one single fact about this organ: it helps us dream. Yes, this tiny gland is responsible for one of the most complex, precisely detailed, and totally crazy experiences known as dreams. Other than that, the function of the pineal gland is unknown and completely shrouded in mystery. It seems like everything relating to the mind is completely hidden; perhaps we don’t know ourselves as well as we think. Perhaps we are the greatest mystery of all.

Perhaps we will be blessed enough to find all the answers one day, or maybe we are doomed to wonder for eternity. Maybe our dreams provide a release from our world, or maybe they keep us trapped in the prison of our own minds. Either way, as long as we exist in this world, we will dream. So again, I ask you: what are dreams? What is consciousness? And when we fall into our deep slumbers time and time again, are we actually falling into reality?

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Director: Santana Vaughan Models: Kylie Carney, Hunter Dauley & Hanna Schranger Photographers: Daniela Lourenco Shiber Photo Editor: Ja’mecia Rosier & Kelsey Bauch Stylists: Victoria Miranda & Gabrielle Arcia Location Scout: Tyre Hill

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Jenna Weiss Fashion thrives in the minds of creatives and artists; with high end brands defying the ordinary and delving into creative expression, while ending the stigma that fashion is primarily elegant and contemporary. It is as fashion theorists describe as “avant-garde, the extraordinary, and the unusual” (Buckley and Clarke, 2012). While initial perceptions may view the industry as superficial, fashion designers implicate unconventional yet eye-catching textiles, colors, and designs to place an emphasis on art and passion.

As new pieces adapt to trends, many of these designs and decisions pose a risk factor when releasing the lines. To create a sort of safety net, several brands impose correlational analysis as a method of trend forecasting to see what would pose well in sales. Since fashion is constantly changing and at a fast rate, it’s important to advance data collection along with it.

Krithika Bhat, a researcher in fashion data analytics at Rutgers Professional Science Master’s Program, acknowledges that while correlational analytics have been around for years, we’ve recently gained more access to non-sales related data through social media. Throughout her research, she came across a New York based company called WGSN, that researches fashion show analytics. This approach allows big companies to find an “algorithm” to reach peak interactions and sales.

Correlational analytics have been used for several years to optimize sales in a multitude of industries. Bhat focused her career on correlational analytics in the fashion industry specifically. She discusses the types of trend forecasting she has run across in her research in several different companies like Zara or WGSN. Zara, a popular fast fashion brand, “...collects sales data and analyzes each SKU’s (stock-keeping unit; a scannable barcode) sales against supply. Zara does even more, it analyzes performance

of features of different SKUs.” By setting out a limited supply of clothing on the racks, they measure what reacts well from purchase engagement (if clothes with a certain pattern sell better than another, etc.). These methods are still used today, but with the increased access to more data and sources, they’re being used to create a more detailed and accurate form of forecasting.

An example of the advancements is found through the previously mentioned company WGSN. Bhat states that “...this company conducts catwalk analytics, where fashion experts tag garments based on type, style, color fabric and other details during the runway presentation.” By doing this, they can determine when certain pieces do best in certain seasons, what colors are most popular, etc. Their company focuses on the clothing lines specifically to predict what clothing items will do best for runway sales.

As companies like WGSN use social media and consumer analytics for trend predicting, several data sources are used to collect that information. Dr. Emmanuel Sirimal Silva from the London College of Fashion and their colleagues delve into the potential use of Google Trends in the fashion industry.

“It is no secret that Google Trends are increasingly influencing business decision-making in a variety of industries (see, for example, Yu et al. 2019; Siliverstovs and Wochner 2018; Zhang et al. 2018) given its ability to act as a leading indicator for forecasting key variables of interest. The fashion industry too can benefit from the exploitation of Google Trends for forecasting fashion variables, from predicting future purchase decisions, to determining the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and forecasting online consumer brand engagement.”

They’ve found that, while more research is necessary to get a definite answer, Google Trends can predict economic activity for several other industries, leading them to believe that it very well can be used in the fashion industry. Through their research, they found that Google makes up over 75% of internet searches in the world, making it a reasonable source due to a surplus of data and information.

By using a combination of Google Trends and YouTube livestream and video data and comparing it to the clothing lines and fashion show elements using correlational analysis, this method may be effective in a more developed and intricate form of trend forecasting for the future.

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Director: Jackson Ring Model: Karli Halsey Photographers: Kayden Vitale, Axel Marquez & Rebecca Arnalde Photo Editor: Beatriz Quintana Stylists: Stacie Sayers & Marc Anthony Miller MUAs: Trinity Dupoint & Alexandra Sullivan Set Designer: Erin Jones

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PARASITE Kadambari Vyas

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It sits there, taunting you.

Do this, do that.

Climb that wall, kick that fence.

Jump off that building.

You know you want to.

You don’t.

In fact, it’s the last thing you’d want to do, but It won’t stop teasing you until you’ve had your last breath. When the world sleeps, so do you, but that Parasite you’re stuck with keeps going, on and on and on until your temporary sleep turns into forever. Until death do us apart, except It’s always here, always with you, always watching. A growth on the skin would’ve been better, less annoying, but here you are once again, just the two of you. Although deeply disturbing, it’s comforting knowing you’re not alone. You won’t admit that you love it, although it hates you. I hate you. It’s intimate, this relationship, this Parasite that knows every inch of you inside and out (but mostly on the inside) but you don’t mind, really. It keeps reminding you that everything is pointless and that life is futile and that we’re all going to - jump in the lake! Sometimes you forget what you were doing or saying, but sometimes it doesn’t really matter. Your thoughts are Its thoughts and It knows you best. Sometimes it’s unnerving, knowing that It’s always there, that It’ll always be a part of you like an ugly tumor. But you’re not afraid. You are. No, you’re not. Sometimes you wonder if you were ever your own person, or if this Parasite was always controlling you.

You are the servant and It is your master. You have, and will always be, less than It. But you are strong, you are fierce, you will succeed. You are scared. Maybe it is not the horrors of this world you are afraid of, maybe it is yourself. Rather, that Parasite inside of you. It keeps you up at night and shames you and tells you nasty things. It betrays you time and time again, yet you keep going back. You’re dependent on me. No. I am not It and It is not me, it cannot be. We are the same. It’s just a clump of cells! It’s a bunch of chemicals and neurons and tissueLIAR. No matter how hard you try, you have to admit to yourself that you will never escape. It is always with you, always watching, always knowing. It controls you: every aspect of your existence, from your personality to your disposition to your deepest desires.

It is you.

It’s you.

It’s your Parasite called the Brain.

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Director: Santana Vaughan Models: Kadambari Vyas, Mariyah Bell & Kristen Boxhorn Photographers: Kayden Vitale & Daniela Lourenco Shiber Photo Editor: Ja’mecia Rosier Stylists: Erin Jones, Victoria Miranda & Gabrielle Arcia MUA: Trinity Dupoint Set Designer: Tyre Hill

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L’Enfant Terrible Jenna Weiss

Initial perceptions of fashion deem it as superficial, but these views have since diminished with the development of the industry . If delved into, it opens the conversation on the hysterics of fashion, and its deeper meaning as a psychoanalytic model. Fashion has been described as a “symptom of alienation, loss, mourning, fear of contagion and death, instability and change” (FatE). Fashion predominantly veered on the side of haute couture and trends, with the avant garde and classics taking the reins whilst avoiding transgressive approaches. This mindset was challenged with Alexander McQueen in the 1990s, as he incorporated concepts contradicting societal norms with displays of perversion, sexuality, and the macabre.

While fashion has had a significant impact culturally and on identity construction throughout time, there’s an unusual attraction to the 90s and its experimental phase. The 90s, while some styles seem bleak or edgy, are as so to signal a new change and its depth and complexity. The word ugliness holds that same depth and complexity. A German philosopher by the name Johann Karl Friedrich Rosenkranz argues the connotation of the word, saying “Ugliness is no mere absence of beauty, but rather a positive negation of it”. Ugliness doesn’t mean that it lacks beauty, but rather it’s the opposite whilst not having a negative undertone.

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While this was discussed in the 1800s, Alexander McQueen had a similar interpretation to the word, and would say that; “I think there is beauty in everything.

What ‘normal’ people would perceive as ugly, I can usually see something of beauty in it.” By combining death and

repressed sexual desires, McQueen created works falling between the blurred lines of fashion collections and performance art.

Tradition was widely accepted, and it wasn’t often that there would be an artist that would cross the tangent in the industry until McQueen had come along. His anachronistic collections spurred outrage and discourse on whether they could be called art or if they were simply vulgar and misogynistic. He featured lush performances and macabre designs and presentations. Regardless of it being positive or negative, he invoked feelings and grabbed attention from a mass audience with his genius.

In the 20th century, the discussion on whether fashion was considered an art began to rise. Rather than non metaphorical pieces, art began to reference “complex psychological issues, like identity and culture, (and)... perpetuate(d) theories like feminism (and) psychoanalysis…” (Elevating the Other). Throughout time, the types of mediums expanded and eventually fashion began to fall into it. Now that its potential as an art was realized, clothing was moved onto the runway in the 1960s and has developed to become more intricate (Elevating the Other) and focus on the minutiae. Most often we see runway shows present elongated models with a perfected walk and a crafted scene, but McQueen wanted to challenge the ordinary.

(Somerset House).

JOAN by Alexander Mcqueen

McQueen grew up openly gay with the support of his mother, but faced rejection by his father and schoolmates. Growing up, he gathered his inspiration from literature such as The One Hundred and Twenty Days of Sodom (1904), Perfume (1986), and films like The Silence of the Lambs (1991) (Fantasy of Ugliness).

He was an outsider who paved his way into the couture community with his enticing designs and unorthodox personality. For this, he was named l’enfant terrible due to his unconventional, experimental, and “unwearable” pieces (Genius of a Generation).

He primarily had a fascination with the gruesome and fear inducing aspects of art.

Alexander McQueen made his entrance in 1992 with his collection titled “Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims”, combining his vivid imagination regarding violence and disturbance with his clothing designs. He had been described to set his works “at the nexus of sex (or sensuality) and horror”, which was displayed significantly in this collection. McQueen was captivated by the vulgarity of Jack the Ripper and prostitutes, whom the murderer would target. He was said to have studied “Victorian pornography” to emphasize the sexual factors in his show. While McQueen was known to be a talented tailor, he would destroy his materials to capture the brutal energy of the theme. “McQueen distressed the calico skirt with burn marks and papier-mâchéd magazine articles onto it…, red paint was spattered liberally to denote blood” (Watt, 2013, p. 40)(Fantasy of Ugliness). He had a passion for history and put a surplus of effort in his research, which is demonstrated in a lock of his own hair that he had sewn into one of the pieces. Jack the Ripper would cut a piece of hair from a prostitute he had killed, which was commonly done as a token of love, but in this case came from a place of horror

Contrary to most designers, Alexander McQueen made his collections almost a form of performance art, which was made clear in his Joan of Arc inspired line in 1998. Models were sent down the catwalk with “red contact lenses, severe haircuts (some were completely bald), and garments verging on armors, in a wish to reverse binary expectations” (Fantasy of Ugliness).

He concluded the show by featuring his last look with a model surrounded by a ring of fire, creating a more dramatized show than most designers.

McQueen paved the way for a new lens into the fashion world, for the eerie and the uncomfortable. Fashion is a medium of art, and despite critics’ debates on whether his collections were misogynistic or misunderstood genius, he met his goal of enticing emotions within his audience, regardless of its connotation. He was the anomaly in an industry of commonality, and will live on as one of the most prominent fashion names in the industry.

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Director: Jackson Ring Models: Dominic Durso & Sara Skipper Photographers: Isa Maria Jones, Rebecca Arnalde & Axel Marquez Photo Editor: Jackson Ring Stylists: Stacie Sayers & Marc Anthony Miller MUAs: Trinity Dupoint & Alexandra Sullivan Location Scout: Erin Jones

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Lindsay Malley I wish feelings were like how they are in the movies. A dramatic ten second cry with a track in shot of tears and anguish. Cut the scene and mom gives a pep talk; the next thing you know the character does x and y and gets their life back together three scenes later. If anything, emotions are a horror movie.

Denial.. They just need to calm down. They’ll be fine tomorrow. It’s as if you Denial know it’s not okay, but you want it so bad to be. It hurts less pretending it’s okay. The news is so overwhelming that the pink tissue in a person’s skull tells the body to go numb. The brain lives in a preferred reality,staggering the painful truth of actual reality. Days or weeks may go by with smiling selfies and drunk girl’s nights because it’s better to pretend than wake up a beast.

Anger.. Where the true colors come out. All of a sudden the love of your life Anger “wasn’t that cute anyways” or your ex best friend “was a bad friend all along”. The beast won. All of your worst traits come out to do anything to make yourself feel better. You begin to worry about who you’ve become and why you feel so disconnected from reality. The coworker’s joke is no longer funny and someone deserves to get yelled at today! It’s a fight, but it dissipates.

Bargaining.. So what’s going on?! I thought I despised them! Why is it now my Bargaining fault? Maybe I should have been better at communicating. If only I would have told them how I felt. It’s like your prefrontal cortex is negotiating with the universe for a do-over. You would do anything to get what you lost back even if it means climbing over mountains and driving the extra mile.

Depression. This is the one the movies skip. Maybe the movie isn’t long enough or the plot would be too sad, but it’s in your storyboard. Reality hits. This is the new normal. You feel numb, foggy, and alone. Alone from everyone but your thoughts. The thoughts keep you up at night and sneak up and surprise you with a familiar song or restaurant. The only talking is between you and your subconscious fighting to find out why you should keep going on.

Acceptance. Emotions stabilize and reality doesn’t look so dark. While it may still feel like a heavy cloud, society is pushing you to move forward. Your friends are beginning to force you to hang out, and work is begging for you to be less moody. One step - one day - at a time. Everything will be okay and you are stronger because of it.

That looks about right. Cue the credits!

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Director: Zulmaris Garcia Models: Joplin Warner, Abigail Thurston, Tyre Hill, Julianna Diaz & Mackenzie Logan Photographers: Austin K. Koh & Mary Kelly Cardillo Photo Editor: Jackson Ring Stylists: Danielle Nicholas & Juliette Francis MUAs: Emily Haws & Olivia Brown Hairdresser: Hailey Winder Set Designer: Alberto da Costa e Silva

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Lindsay Malley

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Everyday people pick something out of their closet to represent them that day. Growing up I was a military brat. This included short stay periods and lots of moving. Every new place I went, I connected with people through fashion. While I don’t have “one” style or aesthetic, everything I wear is based on how I’m feeling that day. Freedom of style allowed me to connect with people all over the US, but what does that mean for designers? A story that sticks out is Donatella Versaces’s expression after the death of her brother.

On July 15, 1997, the creative genius behind Versace, Gianni, was murdered in Miami Beach. Dontatelle not only had to mourn the death of her brother, but accept the responsibility as Versace’s creative leader.

Her own team didn’t believe in her, but believed she was “just the little sister of a great genius”. She had very little support and huge shoes to fill. Even with the struggles, she networked with professional contacts and found a good group of women to work with. She finally was building the support system she needed. Twenty years after her brother’s death she released a spring collection in homage to his work.

She went to the Versace Archive, which is a storage facility for over 13,000 items of Versace, and made a collection that was inspired by the twelve prints her brother created between 1991 and 1997. To put her own touch on it, she made more everyday wear and incorporated sharper shoulders and less slits. The fashion show was meant to connect Versace past and present through in-your-face and loud prints. Donatella Versace also invited some of her brother’s favorite models to be a part of the show. These included: Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Helena Christensen, Naomi Campbell and Carla Bruni.

This tribute to her brother had liberated her to heal and move on. She has since produced beautiful collections to tell her story. Her spring 2021 collection is meant to be “disruptive” and break rules. Ms. Versace says post pandemic she wants her latest collection to be an example of “inclusion, of mutual support, and acceptance of what is different from us.” In her latest spring 2022 collection her looks are meant to go for “sexy” instead of their usual image for “dreamy”. The show included pop star Dua Lipa who opened in a black skirt suit with slits and big, colored safety pins along the piece.

Donatella Versace will continue to change the world of fashion and inspire other designers to do the same. Donatella has big plans for the future like sustainability and seasonless fashion. She touched on sustainability in her capstone collection as previously mentioned, but she wants to continue to fight for these two things in the fashion industry. With Donatella’s vision, fashion pollution will be reduced and fashion will remain relevant and timeless. It’s exciting to see the direction Versace goes and how other fashion designers will follow.

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Director: Darrell Wright Jr. Models: Joplin Warner, Annah Arias & Danielle Nicholas Photographers: Jackson Ring & Austin K. Koh Photo Editor: Darrell Wright Jr. Stylists: Erin Jones & Juliette Francis MUA: Emily Haws Hair Sylist: Hailey Winder Set Designer: Alberto da Costa e Silva

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Creative Director Darrell Wright Jr.

M A G A Z I N E

Deputy Editor: Juliette Francis Editor-in-Chief: Reina Nieves Art Director: Kelsey Bauch Writing Director: Reina Nieves Photoshoot Directors: Santana Vaughan, Jackson Ring, Zulmaris Garcia Head Graphic Designer: Madelyn O’Halloran Graphic Designer: Genesis Millington, Kelsey Bauch, Lainie Jones Photo Editors: Beatriz Quintana, Ja’Mecia Rosier, Jackson Ring Layout Assistant(s): Joplin Warner, Lysander Mitsouras Staff Writers: Kadambari Vyas, Lindsay Malley, Jenna Weiss Copy Editor: Reanna Haase

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S T A F F

E X E C U T I V E

President: Darrell Wright Jr. Vice President: Juliette Francis Event Director: Nathalia Beltran Treasurer: Kiara Alexander Secretary: Julianna Diaz Marketing Director: Abigail Thurston Public Relations Director: Erin Jones Campus Relations Director: Dominic Durso Social Media Coordinators: Alyssa Vendittis, Donovan Butler, Jennifer Sequeira, Alondra Pacheco, Lauren Ifill

B O A R D

Styling Chairs: Ian Elmowitz, Erin Jones Beauty Chair Emily Starr Haws Design Chairs: Lindsay Malley, Amber Hottle

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