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who’s on staff? editorial EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Liv Velarde CREATIVE DIRECTOR Paige Wilson FEATURES EDITOR Amber Mitchell PRINT FASHION EDITORS Alana Valko Elena Odulak DIGITAL FASHION EDITOR Alexa DeFord PRINT DESIGN EDITORS Katie Beukema Xinyi Liu DIGITAL DESIGN EDITORS Aliya Falk Manda Villarreal
business PUBLISHER Serena Pergola ACCOUNTS DIRECTOR Connie Zhang MARKETING DIRECTOR Christi Suzuki
PRINT PHOTO EDITORS Kenzie King Becca Rudman
FINANCE COORDINATORS Savannah Klein Ella Radice
DIGITAL PHOTO EDITOR Francesca Romano
EVENTS COORDINATOR Courtney O’Beirne
STREET STYLE EDITOR Evan Parness
OUTREACH COORDINATOR Ellie Benson
MANAGING PHOTO EDITOR Benji Bear
ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Claire Dickerson
VIDEO EDITOR Rosalie Li
DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Colleen Jones
DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR Emily Benderoff
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Molly Shulan
ILLUSTRATOR MANDA VILLARREAL
SHEI /’sh(ay)/ Magazine was founded in 1999 as an Asian Pop Culture Magazine and became affiliated with University of Michigan Student Publications in 2013. Our Digital Magazine, known as SHIFT at the time, was launched in 2015. Since then SHEI has grown to campus wide recognition as a publication that students can come to for fashion, art, and culture commentary and inspiration.
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EAD 01 ER FROM THE EDITOR 05 BLUSH TIDE 07 TALIAN SUMMER 13 WINDING SCENES 21 CTATIONS OF GRANDEUR 27 THE NEW CLASS 31 PRIDE MARCH 87 FACES OF NY 97
letter from the editor
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WRITER LIV VELARDE
In publications, in fashion, in creative pursuits in general, we strive to avoid cliches and create something original that delights our audience and proves our worth as genuine creators. Yet I sometimes feel weighed down by the inevitable cliches. The stories of everyone that came before us, the rut that will never stop becoming more pronounced follows us as we try to live a life that feels authentic. The University of Michigan, a historic place in its own right, has this weighty history that oozes out of every old brick and bronze plaque. When I close my eyes, I imagine the hundreds of thousands of students that have walked past these same buildings and dreamed anxiously about their futures. In my mind they traverse in black and white, but in their moment, the day was as vibrant and thrilling as the thrumming potential we feel visualizing our own best selves. Sometimes fighting those cliches during these nostalgic times just serves to make us feel miserable. We can’t disconnect from the people we were every other September and we can’t detach from all of the other students that have also felt that distinct wistfulness of back-to-school.
This year, we introduce the board members that bring you SHEI Magazine by rejuvenating that back to school experience. We all went into a room, sat on a stool, and smiled awkwardly. Afterwards, we hoped we didn’t blink while our eyes recovered from that blinding flash. Along with our back to school revival, we’ve showcased the stunning images from some of our photographers’ summer breaks, that I have to believe didn’t feel like a repetition of the summers that came before. Skip ahead to page 87 to see vibrant Pride in New York City. On page 21 you’ll find the city streets of Israel in rich color. You have a choice of beaches with Blush Tide (07) at Coney Island and An Italian Summer (13) on the Mediterranean Coast. It’s easy to lose sight of the historicism that comes with every passing instant. In this present moment we are making history. We’re producing the inaugural issue of the fifth volume of SHEI Digital, we’re making changes to a design playbook that’s been stagnant for years, and I know that you, reader, are doing historic things that will make future freshmen marvel at your name on a bronze plaque 20 years from now. Have a fruitful school year, enjoy this issue, and check back in with us; we’ve got a lot of good stuff coming.
blush tide
PHOTOGRAPHER KENZIE KING GRAPHIC DESIGNER ALIYA FALK
coney island
An Italian S
PHOTOGRAPHER BECCA RUDMAN GRAPHIC DESIGNER MANDA VILLARREAL
Summer
PHOTOGRAPHER EVAN PARNESS GRAPHIC DESIGNER ALIYA FALK
WINDING SCENES ISRAEL
EXPECTATIONS OF GRANDEUR
WRITER LIV VELARDE GRAPHIC DESIGNER ALIYA FALK
This summer I had an internship in Barcelona that I frankly was not qualified for. It was a fake it ‘til you make it situation. Or alternatively, a fake it until everything blows up in your face situation. I worked as an intern for one of the most successful social media influencers in Spain who founded an agency that connected Instagram and YouTube personalities with companies to publicize their marketing campaigns. I was tasked with managing the agency’s social media by basically being myself and promoting my boss’s clients. I’ll admit that I was pretty cocky going into it; I thought posting every day and posing as a fashion blogger would be a breeze. After all, all I had to do was post my outfit of the day and repost any of the dozens of her clients sending DM’s about their “nueva post”.What I learned the hard way is that anyone who thinks they can excel at a job managing social media just because they love their personal Instagram is probably wrong. Before I inevitably got fired, I at least got to participate in one of the biggest perks of the industry, which also happened to be something I had always dreamed of doing. Barcelona is a fashion capital,
ranked somewhere around 5th in world, although there is quite a gap of prestige between the Big Four and mellow Barcelona. One of its fashion weeks, called 080 Fashion Week, takes place in early July and its sponsors include mega corporations like NYX, Hyundai, and Movistar. My boss, already weary of my Instagram incompetence, begrudgingly invited me to attend at the encouragement of the director of my internship program. She displayed her obvious doubts about my ability to handle this event appropriately when she responded to my queries about what to wear with “Es un fashion week”. The eye roll emoji was implicit. I arrived at the spectacular venue, the sprawling campus of a historic hospital designed by Barcelona’s golden child, Antoni Gaudí, ready for anything. I was going to push myself that day and prove that I was not a lost cause. I paced around the entrance for a while, drifting in and out of wifi so that I could use WhatsApp to communicate with my increasingly late boss. It was soon obvious that she was not going to be on time for the show. She told me that I was ‘on the
list’ as her assistant and that I’d be able to get in with just that information. I went up to the first checkpoint and inquired about the notorious list in grammatically correct Spanish, albeit accompanied by an atrocious accent. She replied (in English) that I could go to the ticket counter and see where that got me. The ticket counter basically told me I was out of luck and should just wait for someone to arrive with my actual ticket. I decided to change tactics and approached a different lanyarded individual and told her that my boss was already in the show with my ticket, but she could check for my name on the list. That got me through checkpoint 2. I parroted my story about the list to some millennials in teal polos milling about at the entrance of the venue. The one that I assumed to be in charge just sort of shrugged his shoulders and then I was in. It actually worked. I passed three checkpoints by blustering confidently about my right to be there. Maybe it helped that I definitely looked the part. My boss may have thought me a dope for asking the clothing question, but I pulled a look off regardless of her lack of help. After the show, a reporter from Elle
Spain approached me and asked if I’d be willing to answer a few questions about my outfit on video. I gave the camera a little twirl and told her that I loved to mix up a feminine look with sporty elements, and that the straw handbag was the ultimate summer trend. If you search “Street Style 080 Barcelona” on YouTube you can catch me around minute 2. If you’re tempted to try this list thing at home, I’d suggest not wearing Birkenstocks or sweatpants. As soon as I stepped into the crowded great hall, the room turned dark and seizure inducing lights began to flash. It felt a bit like a Zoolander-esque parody, but maybe that’s a compliment to Zoolander’s authenticity rather than a dig at the show. The brand name, SYSTEMACTION, flashed on the screen and then the show was on. The clothes were mostly ready to wear with a few moderately conceptual pieces mixed in. It was clearly a collection meant for fall with mustard yellow, burgundy, and terracotta red featuring prominently. There was a distinct 70’s inspiration, which I absolutely love for fall. All models were rocking suede floppy hats, wide legged trousers, and a healthy dose of fringe.
The energy in the room was pretty incredible. We were all spellbound for about 13 minutes and then everyone burst into a flurry of networking and gossiping. I, knowing no one, got up onto the stage and took a lap, still not quite processing that I was walking on a real life runway. I stayed in there as long as a I could and then the teal brigade was back, telling me to please exit the venue. I met my boss at the boozy meet and greet afterwards and took advantage of the bubbly. I mostly remember feeling disbelief tinged with some anxiety. It was a combination of praying that I’d get adequate photos of the event and absolute shock that I was living out this dream I had always had. As long as I can remember I’ve longed for the glamour of the life of the truly, remarkably fashionable. I planned to work my hardest, gain access to this world and then everything would shift slightly. I would click into place as the real me. What did it feel like to check one of my biggest dreams off the list? Shockingly uncomplicated and relatively underwhelming. I expected fireworks and overpowering emotions that might have even brought
me to tears. I laugh now at how silly it was to think that there would be a moment of metamorphosis where I had finally accomplished what would transform me into who I really wanted to be. Instead it felt like another summer day and a soft smile that wouldn’t quit. I didn’t radically transform as a person, but was that ever a realistic expectation? You go to live out a dream and you find that in most ways, the experience feels like any other day. It’s disappointing, but it’s also comforting. It’s a reminder that each day is a gift. I want to be clear that I recognize the immense privilege that I have to have been able to do this, but I did think it would be different. I thought that I had reached that moment, the one that would change me. I first felt let down, hopeless that that moment would never come and I’d be waiting forever. But then I stepped back and realized how exhilarating the day was, full stop. It wasn’t a gateway into the world I was searching for, but it was a moment from my life that would always make me happy. Change is not something that happens in an instant; it’s the aggregate of all the moments that I appreciated for what they were.
THE NEW CLASS INTRODUCING 2018-2019 BOARD PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHOTO EDITORS
editorial
Liv Velarde Editor-in-Chief Year: Senior Majors: English Language and Literature, Spanish Hometown: Grand Blanc, MI Quote: “The coolest thing is when you don’t care about being cool anymore. Indifference is the greatest aphrodisiac - that’s what really sums up style for me.” — Rick Owens
Paige Wilson Creative Director Year: Senior Major: Art & Design Minor: Entrepreneurship Hometown: Lowell, Michigan Quote: “Go into the arts. I’m not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable.” — Kurt Vonnegut
Amber Mitchell Features Editor Year: Senior Majors: English Language and Literature, American Culture Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI Quote: “When it’s very difficult, when it’s not comfortable, that’s when you can make some amazing stuff.” — Devendra Banhart
Kenzie King Print Photo Editor Year: Junior Majors: Art & Design, Conservation Biology Hometown: West Bloomfield, MI Quote: “Pure, intense emotions. It’s not about design. It’s about feelings.” — Alber Elbaz
Becca Rudman Print Photo Editor Year: Senior Major: Business Administration Hometown: Wheaton, IL Quote: “I’m pretty used to people not liking having their picture taken. I mean, if you do like to have your picture taken, I worry about you.” — Annie Leibovitz
Benji Bear Managing Photo Editor Year: Senior Major: Computer Science Hometown: Rockford, IL Quote: “Cool photo, you must have a good camera.” — Everybody
Francesca Romano Digital Photo Editor Year: Junior Major: Architecture Hometown: Montgomery, AL Quote: “It’s fun to be on the edge. I think you do your best work when you take chances, when you’re not safe, when you’re not in the middle of the road.” — Danny DeVito
Evan Parness Street Style Editor Year: Sophomore Major: Architecture Hometown: New York, NY Quote: “We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” — Bob Ross
Rosalie Li Video Editor Year: Senior Major: Interarts Performance Hometown: Beijing, China Quote: “There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an exam, and finish with education. The whole of life from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.” — Jiddu Krishnamurti
Elena Odulak Print Fashion Editor Year: Senior Major: Art & Design Hometown: Nutley, NJ Quote: “What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.” — Miuccia Prada
Alana Valko Print Fashion Editor Year: Junior Majors: Communications, Art History Hometown: Macomb, MI Quote: “Doing something new doesn’t necessarily have to be beautiful in the eyes of the people who look at it. The result of doing something new is beautiful. Thefact of doing something new and people being moved by it is what’s beautiful.” — Rei Kawakubo
Katie Beukema Print Design Editor Year: Senior Major: Communication Studies Minor: Art & Design Hometown: Portage, MI Quote: “I love inside jokes. Love to be apart of one someday.” — Michael Scott
Xinyi Liu Print Design Editor Year: Senior Major: Industrial Design Minor: Business, Music Hometown: Connecticut Quote: “Can I offer you a nice egg in this trying time?” — Frank Reynolds
Aliya Falk Digital Design Editor Year: Junior Major: Organizational Studies Minor: Art & Design Hometown: New York, NY Quote: “Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows.” — Jack Kornfield
Manda Villarreal Digital Design Editor Year: Junior Major: Art & Design Minor: History of Art Hometown: Fenton, MI Quote: “I don’t like to gamble, but if there’s one thing I’m willing to bet on, it’s myself.” — Beyoncé
Emily Benderoff Digital Content Editor Year: Senior Major: Pyschology Minor: Entrepreneurship Hometown: Bloomfield Hills, MI Quote: “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” — Coco Chanel
Alexa DeFord Digital Fashion Editor Year: Junior Major: Art & Design Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI Quote: “All I can do right now is put on a brave face and go out there and be their leader.” — Michael Scott
business
Serena Pergola Publisher Year: Senior Major: Communications Hometown: Plainview, NY Quote: “In my opinion, we are all put on this earth for a reason. We can find our reason by going through the ups and downs, not being afraid to make mistakes, and helping others who are lost along the way. I hope you find your reason, and I hope you’ll help others find theirs, too. I hope you’ll be kind, be determined, be loving, be humble, hold your head up high, and above all... be fierce.” — Aly Raisman
Connie Zhang Accounts Director Year: Junior Major: Business Adminstration Hometown: Philadelphia, PA Quote: “Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants.” — Karl Lagerfeld
Christi Suzuki Marketing Director Year: Senior Majors: Economics, Communcations Hometown: Honolulu, HI Quote: “Keep rockin’ and keep knockin’ / Whether you Louboutin it up or Reebok’n” — Kanye West
Savannah Klein Finance Coordinator Year: Senior Major: Business Adminstration Hometown: Palo Alto, CA Quote: “Just keep me where the light is.” — John Mayer
Ella Radice Finance Coordinator Year: Junior Majors: Political Science, International Studies Hometown: Summit, NJ Quote: “Do your thing and don’t care if they like it.” — Tina Fey
Courtney O’Beirne Events Coordinator Year: Junior Major: Communications Hometown: Westchester, NY Quote: “I like my money where I can see it - hanging in my closet.” — Carrie Bradshaw
Ellie Benson Outreach Coordinator Year: Junior Major: Communications Hometown: Bloomfield Hills, MI Quote: “Bitches get stuff done.” — Tina Fey
Claire Dickerson Advertising Coordinator Year: Junior Majors: International Studies, Spanish Hometown: Champaign, IL Quote: “Ogres are like onions, they have layers.” — Shrek
Colleen Jones Distribution Coordinator Year: Sophomore Major: Undecided Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI Quote: “I put the star in Starbucks.” — overheard LA
Molly Shulan Social Media Coordinator Year: Junior Major: Psychology Minor: Spanish Hometown: Warren, NJ Quote: “They say you are what you eat, but I don’t remember eating a GOAT.” — Twitter
PRIDE MARCH - NYC -
PHOTOGRAPHER BENJI BEAR GRAPHIC DESIGNER MANDA VILLARREAL
FA
ACES OF NY
NEW YORK
PHOTOGRAPHER EVAN PARNESS GRAPHIC DESIGNER ALIYA FALK
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