SCARLETTE ISSUE XVI, Fall/Winter 2019
executive board Editor-in-Chief Advisor Layout and Design Director Style Director Writing Director Marketing Director Treasurer Social Chair Blog Director
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Philip Bradshaw Alexandra Suer Nataliya Bystrova Audrey Villarosa Katie Chung Nicki Merritt Michelle Feng Christopher Tinsley Emma King
letter from the editor
elcome to Scarlette Magazine! Our mission at Scarlette is to showcase THE Ohio State University’s individuality through fashion, art, and words. We have had one crazy semester here, and I am beyond excited to introduce you to this semester’s team. This magazine has been, in the past, a small close-knit group of creators; just last semester we had less than 15 active members. This semester we multiplied and grew to over 50 members! Every week I get to see so much creativity through these artists, creators, writers and fashionistas; but not only do I see it, I feel it – their energy is contagious and inspiring. This semester’s release is focused on fall and winter fashion and ideas. With our biannual releases, we aim to inspire our readers and deliver new perspectives of the fashion world – so stay tuned next semester for our spring and summer themed release. In the meant time, enjoy these next pages as you dive into our semester’s work!
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Philip Bradshaw
in this issue...
04 08 12 20 24 26
Abstract Art Photoshoot
36 38 42 50 56 58
Michelle Feng Michael Lykins
Thrifting: Mind Over Material
Stepping out with Luke Breymaier
Retro Photoshoot
Turtlenecks & Capes: 2019 Winter Must-Haves
Flower Child to Flower Boy
International Fashion Meets the Midwest
Let’s Talk About Drag, Baby
Sk8rboi
Women in Power
Euphoria Photoshoot 3
photographer: Amanda Miller models: Ahmed Mohammed, Kat Arndt, Iman Clark, Koku Asamoah, Kia Abrenica, Miyani Ash, Kunniq Wu makeup: Kat Arndt, Sayra Figlik layout: Jenn Jarvis
ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM
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thrifting
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began thrifting this past summer as a cheaper outlet for my frequent and compulsive shopping. Within a few months, it developed from a fun pastime to a total lifestyle and mindset switch. I started out buying anything I found that I thought I could fit in my closet. If it was there, cheap, and decently cute, why not? At an estimated average of $2 a shirt, thrift shop prices are incomparable to any fast-fashion shopping experience. Of course, this only fueled my compulsive buying. Without much financial implication, there was nothing to stop me from thrifting at any given time – and I was having fun doing it! Without digging too deeply into the benefits and issues associated with buying second-hand, exploring Columbus thrift shops continued to take up a large portion of my summer. Although it required searching through dozens of jeans to find one good pair, I was surprised to find the process rather meditative. And in the times when I struck gold, I left with a pair that are unique to anything that could be found by walking into a chain store and picking something off the shelf.
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ind over material
Miranda Lipton
Moving past the self-benefiting reasons for which I began thrifting (I’d be lying if I said I started for any other reason), it felt good to support organizations that I believed to be charitable, though I never questioned the ins and outs of them. I accepted that everywhere I bought second-hand from was more ethically and environmentally friendly than the alternative. That’s what we do; that’s our problem. We buy without thinking and we entrust in corporations who claim to be working towards a better tomorrow. We buy because if we have the funds, why not? We use a plastic bag for our three-item grocery trip because “they’re there anyway.” It makes sense; it’s all we’ve been trained to do. Despite my genuine intentions to be environmental aware and sustainable, I am certain that the grocery stores will restock bananas whether I buy locally or not. So it goes – with mass manufacturing of plastic, cheap clothing and every other type of waste in the fashion industry and otherwise. It’s the alarming and detrimental truth to the fate of human existence. And, disturbingly, the ones who have the privilege of consumeristic lifestyles are the last ones who will face the consequences. The danger is where the privilege lies; it fosters ignorance and inhibits alternative thinking. Without the exposure or understanding that people and environments are being destroyed as a direct result of our consumption, there is no need for us to seek out alternatives. We have what we need. In fact, more than we could ever need. There is a seemingly endless supply of materials that is available to us inconsequentially. Whether you are seeing it or not, the fashion industry is the second largest polluting industry in the world, second to oil. There is a documentary, “Riverblue,” which uncovers and documents the extensive pollution impacts of the global fashion industry. It showed footage in the most polluted rivers in the world, the majority of which were in Southeast Asia: the manufacturing capital of the world. “Made in China.” Sound familiar? If not, refresh yourself with the labels in your closet. There is an “inside joke” among the Chinese that was referenced in the film – that you can predict the “it color” of the fashion season based on the color of the rivers. It is comic relief; a dark joke they can all understand. It is the water they drink and in air they breathe. They are living in the waste that it takes to fuel lives of privilege that they will never see. Their
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natural world is the garbage disposal for our obsessive and incessant consumerism. The dyes of our clothes are the water of their rivers. Turn on the news: the Amazon is burning, the Great Barrier Reef is dying, coastal lines are rising and with their rise, islands are drowning. We recycle, share a few posts on social media, and continue to go about our daily routines: a combination of helplessness, ignorance and incapability of making largescale change. The problem is so bad that we give up before we try. It starts by thinking twice. I never really thought about the implications of my daily choices. No matter “want or need,” I bought thoughtlessly both online and in store. My desire to live sustainably and make a positive impact was and is sincere, yet my daily consumption and choices were entirely isolated from those desires. It makes no sense – how else did I expect to live sustainably if I was not questioning my everyday decisions? I don’t want to imply that I have ceased to consume since I learned the implications of consumption. Today I went food shopping: I drove 20 minutes, using non-renewable gasoline to buy bananas from thousands of miles away and packaged goods that will soon be thrown into my trash, and from there to a landfill. But it is awareness that eventually leads to action and change. I never considered the source of the package that was dropped off at my front door. But now, in addition to my guilty conscience, I want to consider it so I can be spending my money in the most sustainable ways. I doubt I am alone in that thinking, but if it took me a summer of thrifting to figure it out, I’ll assume there are others like myself with positive intentions and detrimental lifestyles. We aren’t exposed to media or advertisements that would encourage this kind of life. We don’t stop to think about our buying, because everywhere we look is telling us to buy, buy, buy. And so, if we can, we do. Without giving up anything that adds to our lives, we can reduce our waste solely through a shift in mindset. Give up the plastic bag to carry your three groceries across the parking lot to your car. Don’t do it to change the world – you won’t. Do it because you don’t need it. Think about everything you purchase. Look into the stores you buy from before supporting them with your hard-earned money. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but anything that’s dropped at your front door a few days after you hit the checkout button online should probably come with a guilty conscience. That doesn’t mean we need to instantly and entirely change our ways. I will continue to waste. But we need to be thinking, always, of how we want to be utilizing the resources available to us. To break down a simple term, non-renewable resources…cannot be renewed. That means when we use them all, they will be gone; forever. If there are future generations, they will be surviving on what is left for them. So, take what you need and leave the rest for whoever’s next. 10
photographers: Francis Duval, Frank Flores layout: Nataliya Bystrova
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photographer: Ashley Clark models: Kat Arndt, Emily Zigo, Brittany Marcum, Marissa Mariner, Hannah Mayle, Grace Kanoski stylists: Audrey Villarosa, Chris Tinsley makeup: Linnea Sippola location: Goody Boy, Flower Child, Skully’s Music-Diner layout: Emily Zigo
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Flower Child... author: Mikayla Grim | artwork: Emily Zigo | layout: Emily Zigo
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distorted guitar scratching through the air; ambiguous lyrics run into your mind. Regardless of one’s personal state of being, the psychedelic music of the late 1960’s made many feel as though they were being propelled to a new universe full of open minds, many drugs, and lots of love. For many, the psychedelic movement was more than just trippy songs and distant faces of musicians: it was a way of life that provided the freedom of morality and mind much of the youth at the time craved in response to the strict ideas of the American Dream their parents took too far. Music wasn’t entertainment, it was culture; it wasn’t mindless, it was spiritual. While the start of psychedelic rock could be attributed to many different artists, the one that most arguably gave the best platform for “hippie culture” was the Grateful Dead. Originally known as the Warlocks, founding member Jerry Garcia and the musicians that gradually joined began by playing at what were known as the acid tests. Created and hosted by famous author Ken Kesey, these acid tests are exactly as they sound—large gatherings of people would collectively trip on LSD as an unofficial experiment amidst the psychedelic scene of San Francisco, the capital of the hippie counterculture. Though the Grateful Dead provided the platform on which psychedelia was to flourish, no other group will be more associated with psychedelic rock than classic stoner group Pink Floyd. Many know of their iconic concept albums including “Dark Side of the Moon,” “The Wall,” and “Animals,” but it’s their earlier work with founding member Syd Barret that resonated with true psychedelia. With albums like “Piper at the Gates of Dawn” and “A Saucerful of Secrets,” it’s no wonder how Pink Floyd stayed so incredibly relevant to so many facets of rock fans and so many generations of music lovers. With so many following this countercultural movement fueled by love, imagined by psychedelics, and spoken through music, a powerful gathering of good vibrations was inevitable. In 1969 over 400,000 people attended 3 days in August of anticipated peace and music in Bethel, New York—Woodstock. Boasting household names like Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, the Grateful Dead, and Janis Joplin, self-proclaimed hippies from all across the country joined in a utopia of what all attending wished society could become. Dropping a lifestyle based on materialism and repression, they picked up a life defined by nothing more than what created peace and spread love. Many lived in community houses with those they would then consider family, adopted a vegetarian lifestyle, participated in open relationships and advocated for others to “make love, not war.” Woodstock was the epitome of all these ideals and more, all soundtracked by music singing the same.
Strands of beads swaying to the melodic sounds of souls to which they relate; human hearts beating together to drums echoing the love they wish to spread; a haven for those that worshiped a culture free of worshiping money. Everyone loved everyone, and this culture blossomed at Woodstock; stronger and more abundant, ready to spread further and deeper into society. Engulfing each cultural movement is an outer layer of distinct fabrics and unique silhouettes. Arguably the most distinct traits to be recognized of any time frame is the fashion produced, grown and popularized by the advocates of said cultural change. The hippie counterculture is no exception, and if there is any aspect of their existence that has lived on longer and more influential than music, it is their iconic statement of fashion. Known for its bright colors, flowing silhouettes, and handmade aesthetics, the hippie fashion cleanly rounds out the idea of their being. The bright colors reflect that of the music that defined their culture, with garments and accessories stained with bright orange, mustard yellow, strong magenta and lime green; these colors echoed the imagery each experienced in their minds and souls, emulating vtheir philosophy of emotion—peace, love, caring for each other—on the outside, prominently stating the humanity the “yippies” that opposed them tried so hard to hide. The flowing, natural fabrics mimicked the break-down of their previous straight-and-narrow way of living to the free-of-morals, flower child culture which was only regulated by the mutual agreement of no regulations. Fashion was the way they communicated to the rest of the world what was going on inside; the parts the outside couldn’t see and the parts music was too direct to widely convey. Whether they were considered a hippie or not, people of all social classes and morality identifications inserted aspects of hippie fashion into their closets.
Dark Star The Grateful Dead White Rabbit Jefferson Airplane Flowers and Beads Iron Butterfly Interstellar Overdrive Pink Floyd Legend of the Mind The Moody Blues
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...Flower Boy author: Madison Kelly | artwork: Emily Zigo | layout: Emily Zigo
Fast forward to 2019. Bass beats, synthesizers and tasteful (and some not as pleasant) autotuned verses. Reverbs, remixes, adlibs– the list of sound altering techniques goes on. In recent years we’ve seen a drastic shift in the popularity of both pop and hip-hop music. As these genres have become centralized fronts of the rapidly growing music industry, we’ve begun to identify more subgenres emerging– resulting in more diverse sounds, higher creative expression and of course, more great music. In regards to one of hip-hops major transformations, we’ve seen a huge emergence of Alternative Hip-Hop. Characterized as traditional rap paired with components of differing genres, there’s more of a melodious approach. Groups such as The Fugees, Outkast and A Tribe Called Quest helped pioneer this change; ultimately inspiring many of the sounds we hear today. Having that been said, the genre of Alternative Hip-op is stronger than ever. Well known artists such as Tyler the Creator, Kid Cudi, Childish Gambino and Brockhampton continue to diversify their sound with each album they release; bridging the gap between hip-hop and alternative music. As these artists have become remarkably popular in recent years, it can be argued that what was once the underground world of Alternative Hip-Hop, has transitioned almost entirely into the mainstream. To gain or keep relevance in this fast changing industry, artists will have to continue experimental methods and pull elements from other genres. In looking at the evolution of pop, one of the biggest subgenres we’ve seen emerge in the past few years is that of ‘Bedroom Pop,’ or DIY. This style of pop is defined loosely
Pink and Blue Outkast OKAGA, CA Tyler the Creator Dis generation A Tribe called Quest Deep Down Body Thirst pharrell, N.E.R.D Way Too Far Phony Ppl
as a musical genre or aesthetic in which artists create music at home as opposed to a traditional recording studio. Even if the music is produced in a studio, they utilize techniques to make the song seem slightly underdeveloped or raw. This genre has really encouraged the idea that anyone can become involved in the music industry with the technology and software that’s out there now. On the other hand, as many of the artists pertaining to this genre have no affiliation to a record label nor recording studio, it can be harder to break ground and gain recognition. Some of this current subgenre’s leads include Clairo, Still Woozy, Temporex, Verzache and plenty of others. From the Alternative Hip-Hop front to the new lo-fi Bedroom Pop wave, this wide range of expression has translated not only musically, but the bonds between fashion and music are as strong as they’ve ever been in today’s world. With this presence of high artist-influence over their own brand image, this has caused quite the impact on the fashion industry. Whereas merch used to be one of the primary translations from music to fashion, we are now seeing much more variety as genres and their subgenres have blossomed. Not to mention, the mere creativity of artists today has prompted unique styles, experiences and methods of artistic expression. Collaborations between a particular brand and an artist have proven to be popular, especially in regards to the evolution of streetwear. In 2016 A$AP Rocky produced a collection with Guess, with efforts to capitalize on the resurgence of 90’s fashion–the infamous Gue$$ Jean$ logo resulted of this. There are many other rappers that have decided to step into the fashion world. Nike has collaborated with a number of artists; some of which include Jay Z and Travis Scott. Adidas propelled the Yeezy empire, and set the foundation for Pharrell Williams trainers. We then of course have artists who have created their own line entirely. Tyler the Creator not only joined forces with Vans and Converse to release shoe lines, but also created waves in the fashion community with his “Golf le Fleur” brand. With many other collaborations not mentioned, it’s certain that the streetwear industry has been of the main styles influenced by music. On a different note, we can also see an indirect music to fashion influence through the growing popularity of music festivals. ‘Woodstock’ fashion is now paralleled by the trends of ‘Coachella fashion’ with large corporations such as H&M capitalizing off of this trend with theirCoachella Collection. While it’s no question that nowadays music and fashion go hand in hand, it’ll be interesting to see what artist starts the next new trend. As sounds continue to change, we will continue to see its impact in the fashion around us. As it was in the earlier times of the 60s and 70s, fashion is one of the biggest indicators of the culture surrounding a particular time period. While this culture includes social class, location and many other factors, music is certainly a driving factor. As the influence of Musicians and Artists becomes stronger we will continue see its impact in the fashion around us. As it was in the earlier times of the 60s and 70s, fashion is one of the biggest indicators of the culture surrounding a particular time period. While this culture includes social class, location and many other factors, music is certainly a driving factor. As the influence of Musicians and Artists becomes stronger we will continue to see the diverse, experiential and creative aspects in the world of fashion as well.
credits: Michelle Feng, Michael Lykins
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Let’s Talk About Drag, Baby. author: Linnea Sippola | layout: Jenn Jarvis
Drag has been trickling into mainstream media for years, but 2018 and 2019 have especially seen drag break into pop culture. Drag fashion has fascinated a world whose idea of glamor and style is tied up in a very conventional idea of “beauty”namely tall, skinny, white girls in simple, ‘elegant’, traditionally feminine dresses, and men in (boring) black suits and ties. Drag fashion, however, is bold and different, and comes in many shapes and forms. So, here’s some drag fashion 101, henny. 26
Camp This one will be familiar to anyone that saw this past Met Gala, though many celebrities completely missed the mark when they were asked to do camp. Camp is over the top; camp is exaggerated; camp is loud and fun and never takes itself too seriously. Camp, in nondrag culture, is Freddie Mercury and Elton John, Dolly Parton and early Nicki Minaj. Camp isn’t concerned about being pretty or conventional. The best known camp queens include Divine, Jinkx Monsoon, and Dame Edna Everage.
Club Kid The club kid has a very specific place in drag culture; the style started back in the 1980s in New York clubs, where the crazier, edgier, and more scandalous the outfit, the better. This very underground culture grew and grew, but died out when one of the founders of the movement, Michael Alig, was charged with the murder of another club kid, Andre “Angel” Melendez. The most notorious club kids included RuPaul and Lady Bunny.
Pageant Pageant girls often get a bad rap; on RuPaul’s Drag Race, the pageant girls are mostly cast as the villains. This really irks me, personally, because of the history and importance of pageants in the gay community. Pageants started in the 1960s, when events like the Stonewall riots and subsequent push for gay rights inspired loud, out and proud gay pride. Queer people took something at the time so heteronormative and almost traditional, pageants, and made them a celebration of queerness and the beauty and talent of the community. Pageant drag is big hair, beautiful gowns, and the infamous Coco Montrese/Alyssa Edwards rivalry. 27
So now, we’re in this weird place where drag artists are revered for their aesthetic but looked down upon for their queerness.
Until a year or two ago, drag artists had been restricted to cult classic queer movies such as Paris is Burning or Hurricane Bianca. Now that pop culture is starting to see the value and aesthetic coolness of drag fashion, we’re beginning to see drag queens pop up in movies and T.V. I really do think that’s so cool and of course very much deserved, and I don’t want to take away from trailblazers like RuPaul and Shangela who are starting to be seen on these huge platforms. However, in a lot of these films and shows, drag queens sometimes seem to be just another prop, added in because it’s now hip and ‘inclusive’ to have a drag queen. Also, the token drag queen is usually given nothing to say or do other than tell a sad straight girl to “love herself ” and put her in heels. It seems to me that they are almost being used for the decades and centuries and millennia of queer pain and exile.
drag artists are revered for their aesthetic but looked down upon for their queerness. Ariana Grande’s team completely copied Farrah Moan’s RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars entrance look with no credit or financial compensation. Disney requested Delta Work wear a particular, custom look to their red carpet but refused to pay her for it. It’s become clear that some companies and media outlets want drag queens for their style and how “trendy” drag fashion and culture has become, but don’t think they’re worthy of payment.
RuPaul has said that he only wears drag when he’s getting paid, and while he’s caught a lot of flack for that, I think he’s right to do so. Queer people knowing their worth, and insisting on payment, is vital for the fight for equality. While it’s awful that this struggle even exists, that we have to tell people to pay queer folx for the value they bring to a project, it’s what has to be done to inspire change. And change is happening; shows like Drag queens are put in movies to say “the world didn’t love us so we had to learn to Pose are actually getting into queer culture, instead of just using queens as props. The love ourselves. And you can too, you white, Boulet Brothers’ Dragula and RuPaul’s Drag straight, conventionally attractive girl who Race are showing the incredible amount of needs a confidence boost because she wears work that goes into drag, both the look and mens size 13 Nikes!” (I know there were no drag queens in Tall Girl but I couldn’t resist). the performance. Drag is comedy, pageantry, performance art, creativity, personality, and Also, I’d like to just ask why all straight couples in movies and T.V. are falling in love at its foundation it is a space for queer people. in drag bars now? From A Star is Born to Girl I really hope we start to see that represented Boss, for some reason gay clubs have become along with just “the look.” a hot spot for heterosexual love in television. So now, we’re in this weird place where 29
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GIRL BOSS
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photographer: Archita Rout models: Emma King, Marissa Miner, Katie Chung, Sydney Smith, Isabella Nowak, Qingyang Sui, Shreya Kodi stylist: Sydney Smith, Shreya Kodi, Marissa Miner makeup: Sydney Smith layout: Jenn Jarvis
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Stepping Out with Luke Breymaier
interviewers: Katie Chung, Emma King photographer: Luke Breymaier layout: Nataliya Bystrova
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uke Breymaier approached us for our interview on a Wednesday night, and we all grinned once the ice was broken by a simple question: “do you think we all have to buy something to sit here?” We both shook our heads no and laughed as we exchanged talk about himself. “You’re a dental student?!” We were shocked and chuckling, but more so impressed that someone could juggle so much. Eager to hear more, we opened up with the classic “so tell us about yourself?” question, but no one can deny that it opened up quite a deep hole of conversation. Luke: I’m a student at Ohio State, I’m a dental student... and a lot of the time, I’m looking at teeth. A lot of my time is school stuff unfortunately, but outside of that, I like sports... basketball, football... I enjoy music, more acoustic or alternative stuff such as Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes, and also snowboarding and skateboarding.
What got you into photography? I always liked taking pictures— I always remember taking pictures with my parents’ camera, and since getting a smartphone, it became easier to take, edit, and share photos. I was sharing mainly to Instagram and VSCO then. In undergrad, I came into shooting film photography, the total opposite end of taking photos with a phone. Did you take any classes? It’s always been a hobby... I didn’t take any photography classes, it wasn’t anything I took too seriously. So, you went directly from phone to film? I played around with DSLR cameras, but basically, the reason I started taking film photos was because it was so different from mobile photography. It’s a way different thing and really interesting to me. 41
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Where do you get your film developed? There are a few places in Columbus that develops film— there’s McAlister Photoworks on Sawmill Road, and I have a couple of friends that shoot film as well and can scan photos.. What inspires you? I have a lot of different things that inspire me, especially different photographers and other photos. Different photo sharing websites. Snowboarding and skateboarding are industries and cultures with a lot of creatives that like to shoot film, and it’s cool to see. Music is another big one, that’s a little more vague but if there’s a certain song that makes me feel a way, I’ll want to make an image that translates a similar feeling. You use a lot of shadows & linework, did you start with this type of photography? I’ve always been interested in simple composition— hard shadows, hard lines, and things with few colors. I don’t like too much going on and I enjoy simplicity. Early on, I enjoyed landscapes, but moving to Columbus for undergrad, there wasn’t necessarily landscapes so I had to start looking down at the little things. I took tons of photos on campus just walking from class to class.
Is there anything you dislike about film? I think what I don’t like is that film cameras are pretty old and you just don’t know what you’re getting. Right now I’m shooting with an old Nikon from the ‘80s, and I’m having some issues with the shutter speed or the aperture isn’t closing all the way down. While I can dislike that though, it’s interesting to see the imperfections when you get scans back. It’s sorta the charm of shooting on film. I enjoy film a lot more than I dislike it, obviously. I think film is great for photography as a hobby because it slows you down a lot. Every step of the way you have control of it and you have to be thoughtful ... with every image. Do you have any advice for shooting with film cameras? Yeah! There’s tons of stuff on the internet for working with film cameras. So first things first go research about it. Other than that I would just shoot a roll with it because you can quickly tell if something is wonky. The best way to learn is just to use the camera a lot. Do you have any cameras you recommend for beginners? If you’re shooting film... I have a point and shoot camera. With me right now I have an Olympus Stylus which is super fun. You can find them at thrift shops, so I think point and shoots are super popular. Mine was actually my old family camera. If you want to go manual though SLR cameras are really popular -- Canon AE-1, Nikon FM-2. Those are great because there’s a lot of them, so there’s a lot of information on the internet. You know what to expect [when using them]. And if you have that camera with you people will recognize it and strike up a conversation with you. 43
Turtlenecks & Capes iconic staples making a reappearance in wardrobes this winter
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photographers: Annie, Spratt, Emily Zeaman models: David Savely, Hannah Toolis stylist: Amanda Toolis layout: Nataliya Bystrova
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International Fashion Meets the Midwest
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In an increasingly globalized world, so many things are being shared cross-culturally: ideas, foods, technology, and yes— even fashion. In some ways, Ohio could be considered landlocked from these waves of fashion—we get the mere ripples of these trends; however, the effects of fashion from around the globe are universally impactful. There is no question that many Americans, designers, and consumers alike, get their influence from abroad. International fashion trends find their way to the United States from all directions. Fashion weeks in Milan and Paris, the streets of Tokyo and Seoul, the vibrant colors and textiles of Buenos Aires and Mogadishu. What may surprise you is just how much fashion trends of the US influence other countries as well. To get a sense of how style has become an exchangeable cultural currency throughout the globe, we interviewed seven students who have experienced these effects first hand.
interviewer: Madison Kelly, Lindsey Heben interviewees: Sreya Juras, Christian Harris, Sabrina Ellison, Briahna McCullough, Emilia Vieyra, Tanaka Mzondiwa, Amanda Chien layout: Nataliya Bystrova
the questions
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We first decided to gauge where these individuals get their inspiration from, where they are exposed to the most international fashion, and what is the most common platform of this exposure. There is no question that we are all exposed to different parts of the world in one way or another. What's fascinating, however, is how these students interpret what they see around the globe and integrate it into their wardrobes.​​ After gaining some more insight into where around the world these individuals have pulled inspiration from, we asked if there was a certain brand they liked that has an international, worldly, cultural or otherwise unique aesthetic. After hearing all about these individuals’ perceptions and experiences with international fashion, we wanted to turn the tables a bit and ask what they thought about American fashion. As far as expressing the positive aspects of American fashion norms, all mentioned the comfortable nature and diversity of style here in the United States.
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Sreya Juras is a third-year at Ohio State. She spent the summer of 2018 studying abroad in Peru and in Spain and the Czech Republic for 2019. “This summer I met a lot of people from the Czech Republic, so I now see a lot of what they are posting and what they are wearing” Juras stated. With Juras’s multiple abroad experiences, we were excited to see how these travels affected her daily fashion sense. “When I spent time in Peru I adopted the laid back style as they’re known for their textiles, colors, and unique pant silhouettes. In Europe the style is much more casual chic,” she explains. Juras went with some of the bigger name European chains such as “Pull and Bear, Bershka and Oysho” and stated that she brought a lot back from Europe from these stores. Juras explained, “I like that American fashion is comfortable and well functioning. You can wear a sweatshirt and shorts and nobody will judge you.” “I feel that more fashionable pieces are primarily only accessible to wealthier people. I think that’s why fast fashion has become so popular. The issue is fashion is not sustainable; you buy a shirt from Forever 21, wear it three times and then it’s done for,” Juras pointed out.
Emilia Vieyra, an 18-year-old from San Juan, Argentina who hopes to study tourism in her future. “Sometimes I think the style changes because of the culture and the economic situation of the country, but I think a lot of style from the Argentinians is based on the trends from Europe or the US,” Vieyra concluded. 52
Briahna McCullough was previously an OSU student but is now studying Fashion Design at Kent State. Shedding light on an area that is sometimes overlooked for their fashion impact, McCullough commented on her love of Australian trends stating, “they have a more light-hearted and airy feel, all while maintaining colors and trends that are apparent in boutiques in America.” McCullough explained “Verge Girl is my all-time favorite international brand that originates in Australia. Their store’s style as a whole takes themes and concepts from influencers around the world.” Referencing brands that might be a bit more familiar to readers, Mzondiwa in Zimbabwe looks to Victoria’s Secret, Tommy Hilfiger, Puma, and Fenty as being the best and most popular at the moment. McCullough conveyed that her “major issue with US fashion is its fast-fashion rates and how much pollution their companies emit.”
Christian Harris is an American and Danish citizen, currently completing a semester abroad in Denmark. While Harris is currently studying in Denmark, he said his style has not changed much from arriving there: “I think it’s just because I’m in a place where people kind of dress how I already dress—I came here with the same style.” Harris responded “Japanese Tech Wear, more specifically ‘Engineered Garments’. It blends North Face Style with Japanese techy elements—really wide-cut pants, lots of fleece, lots of rain jacket type coats.” Harris had different animosities with American Fashion. “I wish the baseline fashion knowledge in the United States was a little higher. Too many things just become super acceptable, like girls putting on leggings every day or guys wearing a hoodie, shorts, and slides out every day. In the United States, the go-to outfit is just so different than here in Denmark. Here [Denmark], the goto option would be a black pair of jeans with a button-down shirt. And so that makes it easier to transition to other more experimental fashion easier. But if you’re trying to transition from basketball shorts to the wide-cut pants of the Japanese brand I mentioned earlier, that’s such a huge jump to make. I feel like it’s just much easier to make those jumps here, they’re not as big.” Sabrina Ellison is a first-year Architecture student from Middletown Ohio. Ellison explained, “I’m exposed every day to fashion from other countries through social media by international photographers, designers, and my [modeling] agency from Indonesia.” Informed from the other side of the world, Ellison stated “I’m very influenced by Indonesian culture since it’s where my mother is from and I grew up in an Indonesian household. I’m also influenced by the designers I’ve met through jobs in modeling in Asia and America.”
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Amanda Chien who is a 17-year-old from Taipei, Taiwan who has a strong interest in law. She expressed the impact of Instagram and other social media outlets on their fashion choices, whereas, for Chien in Taiwan, it doesn’t stop there: “I’m exposed to US fashion when I’m using Instagram, watching a video from an American YouTuber, watching a TV series, movies, music videos...to be honest you can see United States culture almost everywhere in Taiwan. Chien touches on her favorite staple looks, which are “not the normal Taiwanese or Asian style. For example, when I go to the gym, I always wear Under Armour or Nike—these kinds of sporty clothing. In winter, I wear hoodies with jeans. In summer, I wear shorts and a tank top.” Chien pointed out that she looks up to not only trends from the western world, but also our positive attitudes towards fashion; “the biggest fashion concept I got from western cultures [is to] love what you wear and be confident about every part of your body. Asian fashion style always emphasizes how to make you look thin, but the fashion of the United States emphasizes making people look stylish [while] showing off their features.”
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the conclusion
After collecting all of these perspectives from students both at Ohio State and across the world, it’s interesting to see the reach that the fashion industry can have. Our style and the clothes we use to express it have many influences and origins, and it can be fascinating to investigate where the ideas stemmed from and how they’ve been altered along the way. It’s not just about how international fashion influences us, but also the mechanism through which this influence is proliferated. With social media being more prevalent than ever before, it is no wonder people from all over the globe can see and interact with the trends originating elsewhere. As globalization furthers in terms of technology, production, and innovation, the borders that used to dictate fashion have become increasingly thin. That being said, no matter where you are— whether it be on OSU’s campus or another continent altogether—the influence of international fashion can be seen incorporated into people’s style through means both bold and discreet.
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Sk8rboi
article: Lindsey Heben | photographer: Jordan Groeschel | layout: Ellie Armstrong
n the late 90’s and early 2000’s, skating was an identity that society internalized. Radical was a word used in daily language, Tony Hawk was a household name, and people were walking around in skatewear having never even touched a board. As a trend and a sport that has gone through many cycles of popularity and ridicule, skating seems to be back on the rise. Not only have skating brands such as Thrasher and Vans grown in the past few years, but there are also countless other aspects in which skate culture has expanded its reach. It has been a featured topic in recent films such as Mid90s and Skate Kitchen, music from various eras and genres, video games, and even the Vans Warped Tour was originally a skate punk and third-wave ska tour. While there may be many conflicting opinions about the sport, the long-standing presence of its culture cannot be ignored. Skating and skaters alike are not a negative component of our society. In fact, the community as a whole adds great value to the counter-culture movement
from which it stems. Moreover, the strides made by the skating community in the fashion realm are too tremendous to discount. It’s clear that, whether representation is strong or not, skating and the identity attached to it are here to stay. What remains uncertain, however, is what further visibility it will gain in the realm of the fashion world. Certain brands like Thrasher and Vans have undoubtedly made their mark, but curiosity continues to exist about what is to come of smaller brands focused in the skate niche. With skateboards officially making an appearance in the 2020 Olympics, there is no telling yet just how big skating and its style will go—but watching it’s development unfolding throughout the next few years will surely be radical. To get a bit of insight into the skating world and the people who inhabit it, I’ve interviewed a few passionate skaters about their views on the sport.
QA &
How involved are you in the skate community? Do you believe there is a certain culture attached to it? How much of an impact has it had on your identity? Skating is one of the hardest sports I have participated in. It takes a ton of focus and determination to advance yourself. The skating community is huge and I love being apart of it. I skate into work, around campus and even just to go for a cruise. At skateparks you find so many different, unique people all beating themselves up trying to land a new trick and progress. There is definitely a skate culture. The culture is a wide variety of skating style, fashion, and art. Skaters have creative minds and certain ways of doing things. Audrey F., The University of Colorado Boulder What do you believe is the public perception of skate culture? I feel like skaters are seen by the public as troublesome or disrespectful. This is mainly because some of the best skate obstacles are found in private property or a public space where people may be in the way. Skate culture however, as far as fashion goes, is super popular in the mainstream. Think of how many people wear Thrasher but have never skated before. Countless popular streetwear brands started as just skate brands, and the look became so popular that sometimes people don’t even know they’re actually skate brands. Terrence W., The Ohio State University Do you believe your interest in skating influences your style choices? Skating definitely influences my personal style because certain clothes are better for skating. Loose but protective clothes and good skate shoes are important. There’s a stereotypical look for skateboarding because that’s what’s good for the sport, so your personal style kind of morphs with that skate look. Terrence W., The Ohio State University
Is there a certain brand or store you like to buy from for skatewear? I like to support lots of different companies, but one company I won’t support is Zumiez. A lot of people feel like they’ve exploited skateboarding culture for profits. All skateboard companies care about profits, but most still stay true to their roots. A quick list of companies I like to support are GX1000, Independent, Tactics, Girl, Spitfire, MOB, Clearweather Brand, Lakai, and others. Ethan B., The University of Notre Dame I am actually sponsored by a skate & snow company for women called Nikita. They are so supportive of women in extreme sports. They make women’s skate pants and a ton of awesome streetwear. My favorite skate shoes are Nike and Adidas. Audrey F., The University of Colorado Boulder Where do you see the future of skating headed? The future of skating is going to be crazy. The competition scene grows each year and more and more women are getting involved. The amount of tricks that can be performed on a skateboard are endless. Audrey F., The University of Colorado Boulder Skateboarding will be in the Olympics for the first time in 2020, and there are lots of opinions on that matter. I think competitions will continue to maintain prevalence, but if you skateboard you typically pay closer attention to video parts that people put out. In today’s day and age, it’s all about doing things bigger and faster than the next guy and I don’t expect that to change. Ethan B., The University of Notre Dame
responses have been edited for clarity
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euphoria Photographer: Philip Bradshaw Creative Directors: Nicki Merritt Mitsana Sanderson Madison Ryan Allison Larivey Natalie Artz Make Up Artists: Madison Ryan Sydney Smith Abby Hallock Models: Mistana Sanderson Jesus Romero Maddie Joy Elijah Wireman Nicki Merritt Katie Chung Ben Martin Qingyang Sui Kat Arndt Sydney Floyd
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SCARLETTE ISSUE XVI, Fall/Winter 2019
instagram: @ScarletteMagazine | website: scarlettemagazine.com | recruitment: ScarletteMagazineOSU@gmail.com