Strike Magazine Notre Dame Issue 04

ISSUE 04 | NOTRE DAME

THE DELIVERY DRIVER

SLOW FOOD | FAST FOOD: THE SMALL SCALE AMERICAN DREAM

PACKAGED & PROCESSED

THE RECIPE FOR A HUMAN BEING | EAT ME!

THE SCIENTIST

WHILE WE STILL HOLD ON | PURSUIT TO LIVE FOREVER

AMORPHOUS

ANOTHER SHINY AND NEW THING | Q&A WITH HENRY KERNS

THE INVESTMENT BANKER

NINETEEN | BOYCOTTING THE UNIFORM

BOMBSHELL

WHO IS THE BOMBSHELL | BREAKING THE BOMBSHELL

THE ATHLETE

IN THE PAINT WITH JULIE HENDERSON | BE “IN” OR BE YOU

STAFF

EDITORS IN-CHIEF

Alexy Monsalve

Taylor Dellelce

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Gracie Simoncic

CREATIVE ASSISTANT

Ryan Bland

EXTERNAL DIRECTOR

Katelyn Wang

WRITING DIRECTORS

Maddie Schlehuber

Caroline Kranick

BLOG DIRECTOR

Helenna Xu

CONTENT EDITORS

Jane Miller

Shane Stanton

STAFF WRITERS

Victoria Dominesey

Elisabeth Olsen

Olivia Schmitt

Mae Brennan

PRODUCTION DIRECTORS

Sophie Burke

Megha Alluri

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

Grace O’Malley

Andy Donovan

Jacqueline Cox

FASHION DIRECTOR

Mary Kate Temple

FASHION DESIGNER

Madeline Sullivan

STYLING ASSISTANTS

Eno Nto

Claire Niehaus

Matthew DiPaolo

Holland Hiler

Kaelyn Maddox

Kyla Goksoy

BEAUTY DIRECTOR

Skye Sharp

BEAUTY ASSISTANTS

Maya Kvaratskhelia

Aya Abdelnaby

DESIGN DIRECTOR

Anna Kulczycka

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Annelise Hanson

Annie Brown

Cece Fenton

Victoria Gallant

MARKETING DIRECTOR

Peyton Amelia Stearns

MARKETING TEAM

Quinn Drescher

Xinyi An Madison Barquet

Lizzette Borjas

SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR

Julia Wilcox

SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM

Mary Menger

Brian Johny

Josie Humbert

HEAD VIDEOGRAPHER

Rob Corrato

VIDEO ASSISTANTS

Ian Baker Jack Duncan

HEAD PHOTOGRAPHERS

Katherine O’Neal

Grace Beutter

PHOTO ASSISTANTS

Charles Wang

Olivia Guza

MK McGuirk

Jules Ingram

Leah Ingle

FINANCE DIRECTOR

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Isaiah Scarlett

DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Blair Kedwell

Ava Olson

Shannon Kelly

FINANCE TEAM

Erin Navas

Katie Compton

Janet Lee

BOOKING DIRECTOR

Sarah Chon

BOOKING TEAM

Hannah Huston

MERCHANDISE DIRECTOR

Josh Oh

MERCHANDISE TEAM

Elizabeth Perna

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

For the past four semesters, Strike has been our creative outlet. It is through Strike that we have been able to cultivate a community that shares in our love for fashion, art, and writing. We are beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to express our creativity and create something striking to share with our community. We are so extremely proud of our Strike community and each and every member’s accomplishments, and we cannot wait to see what Strike has in store for the future. As you explore Issue 04, we hope you become immersed in The Delusion and fall just as in love with Strike as we have.

Creating a magazine over the course of a semester is no small feat, it requires extraordinary attention to detail and consistent presence at directors’ meetings, concept meetings, fittings, business calls, photoshoots; the list is seemingly endless. Obviously, we couldn’t do this alone. To Gracie and Ryan, we could not thank you enough for the sheer amount of hours, hard work, passion, and creativity you have put into this Issue. To Katelyn, thank you for your persistent dedication to Strike and for keeping us on track when it comes to all things business. Lastly, to our staff members, we could not be more grateful for all sixty-one of you. Through every obstacle we have faced, whether that be changes in studios or concept switches, you have all approached this semester with a degree of passion and enthusiasm that we believe is taking Strike to the next level. This issue would not be possible without each and every one of you.

As always, Strike out, Taylor Dellelce and Alexy Monsalve

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

While Strike is a fashion magazine, at its core, it’s really about people. Directing shoots is the best part of my job for many reasons; it’s when we see a creative vision come to life, but it’s also when I get to laugh with my friends. I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with some of the most talented and passionate people I know on Strike for the last three semesters. I’m so grateful to everyone involved; from our amazing staff to our business partners and supporters. I can’t wait to see where Strike Notre Dame goes as we continue to grow.

Strike out, Gracie Simoncic

EXTERNAL DIRECTOR

I have always searched for a creative outlet to blend my interests and career goals. Strike has been the perfect place for that and has allowed me to find an amazing community. Thank you to everyone on staff and all models for bringing together Issue 04: Delusion. It was truly a pleasure to be able to see our ideas come to life as we developed this issue.

To Gracie, Ryan, Taylor, and Alexy: I am so lucky to work with all of you and be a witness to your creativity in action. Thank you for picking us up when we need it and for putting your all into everything you do for Strike. Love you guys! <3

Strike out, Katelyn Wang

ABOUT THE ISSUE

Delusion was born out of a desire to explore the commodification of identity. Fashion straddles both aesthetics and consumption, occupying space in both the art and business world. This issue is about the twisted fairytale of success and the repercussions of climbing the proverbial ladder. Delusion is also something that happens within, skewing our perception of ourselves and our world. It’s a commentary on capitalism, the ultimate twisted fairy tale, and the promise that inevitably benefits some and hurts others. The consumption of objects, consumption of others, and consumption of ourselves is central to capitalism as we curate ourselves for our careers. If you make it to the top of that ladder, who owns you and your image, and will the people let you control it?

CAREER DAY

A day in the life... THE

DELIVERY DRIVER

One of thirteen children, my grandmother grew up in “lean times.” A crowded farmhouse with too few beds and too many children was no place of packaged convenience for anyone. Work was manual. Money was scarce. Food, by extension, was something of necessity. “Putting lard on the popcorn,” my grandma recalls, “would stick to the roof of my mouth.”

One generation later, as a mother to four children, my grandma cooked like many Midwestern mothers in the 1970s: lots of canned food, lots of carbs, and lots of love. She made sure to fill the dinner table with carefully chosen favorites, simple but made from scratch. In her household, a salad might have included coolwhip and marshmallows with some canned mandarin oranges. She has always had a sweet tooth, I think.

Her yellow-paged recipe books have crossedout equations, little additions, marking when to substitute butter for oil or how to quickly multiply the recipe for her family of six. But there are so many penciled conceptualizations that don’t make the paper. Little mental notes that put care into the things she cooked. Things that make food slow. In an age of boxed dinner kits with pre-portioned seasonings or drive-thrus mass-producing the same product for twelve hours a day, the magic of slow food seems to be disappearing.

I think back to my grandmother’s childhood. Brutal prairie winters, dinners cooked to sustain the hard work in the rows of corn, a life of harsh simplicity.

“Let’s reminisce more. Let’s slow down more.”

Ironically, of course, during the same years of my grandmother’s youth, the big cities would have been reveling in the age of the soda fountain and the diner, American relics from the glory days of consumption. The 1950s was red awnings, paperwrapped delicacies, novel, goldenage consumerism. Is it right to feel nostalgic for something out of the grasp of reality? Maybe it’s not the fifteen-cent burger that we miss. It certainly wouldn’t be the other end of the spectrum – bleak poverty and a lack of technological amenities.

I think it’s fair to think we miss the old times. Before our times. When people were supposed to take their lunch break, whether that be a home-cooked meal or not, instead of forgetting to eat something in the grind of the day. Or worse, eat in the company of a laptop alone.

Let’s reminisce more. Let’s slow down more. I certainly won’t advocate for lard on popcorn or marshmallows in salad, but there are some things you should just do right. Sharing food with people you care about is one of those things.

By Maddie Schlehuber

FAST FOOD: The Small-Scale American DREAM

The American dream: rise up from the position in which you are born, make money, give your kids a better life than your own. White picket fence, two kids, golden retriever. Opportunity, possibility, a wide open future. American fast food: large quantities of burgers, french fries, chicken fingers for inexpensive prices. Processed and packaged with cheap plastic toys to make it more appealing to children. Made as quickly as possible, so restaurant patrons can get back to work and keep striving to attain their dreams, which supersede concerns about quality and enjoyment. How do these two concepts – the dream and the food that fuels it – correlate?

American fast food restaurants champion speed, affordability, and taste. While their meals can be unsatisfying, they are available to everyone. McDonald’s does not dis

sits there waitng, in every town, every strip mall, and every highway reststop...”

criminate. It sits there, waiting, in every town, every strip mall, and every highway rest stop, ready to provide consistent food at a moment’s notice for anyone who pulls up to the drive-thru.

Sophomore year of high school, a friend of mine spent her first-ever paycheck at Culver’s and was delighted to find she had so much money left afterwards. There is something quite satisfying about knowing that your job allows you to afford a delicious meal, even if you are a teenager making minimum wage. At Dairy Queen, Culver’s, Wendy’s, you can provide for yourself and your family – even give them an exciting night out – no matter your financial situation. When you bite into a slice of Domino’s pizza, the world feels like it’s yours, like it’s ready for you to succeed because anything is possible.

However, certain aspects of fast food contrast distinctly with the American ideal. Their meals, while affordable, have an insubstantial quality that makes them ultimately unsatisfying. The first bite of a McDonald’s burger is delicious, but ten bites later it is gone. And despite the quarter-pounder’s high calorie count, it’s hard to feel full after a five-minute meal. Fast food’s accessibility forces people to choose between quality and money when picking a place to eat. Perhaps this is a reflection of the time and work that goes into a fast food meal. Each receives only the minimal attention necessary to defrost, heat up, and package before the cook moves on to the next one. With that in mind, it’s not hard to see how the rewards of eating a quick, low-quality meal – momentary gratification and a fleeting sense of enjoyment – correspond directly with the way it is made.

The disparity between fast food’s democratizing effect – making an agreeable experience available for all – and its frustrating lack of actual substance illustrates the unexpected duality of the American dream. McDonald’s is the American dream in miniature. Although it promises satisfaction, rewards for one’s work, and happiness, any indulging in this dream leads to an unsettling feeling that it is just a facade. Those who partake barely have time to enjoy its best parts before it is over. They spend so much time talking about it and worrying over it and working towards it that it is gone before it is really even started. As with those who purchase fast food, people who exert their time and effort to attain the American dream may find that when they get it, they don’t want it, and the price – while appearing small – was too high.

By Olivia Schmitt

“It

Packaged Processed &

Rends-moi un service?

Do me a favor?

Peel off my skin.

Is it thick like a withering lime?

Does it fight you and your peeler, tearing off in fleshy chunks?

Is it smooth like a brand-new apple?

Torn at the quick from September’s orchard gift, pulled away from sugar sweet innards, tossed tendril by tenderloin down the garbage disposal.

If we are what we buy, where is the line between product and consumer, and how soon until we cross it? Or have we already ventured beyond the grain, blended grenades and les grenades, turned our collective ethic into something drinkable, swipeable, usable?

We lead lambs to the slaughter like we are their slaughterers, but turn around and it is sheep’s wool on our bodies, shepherd’s crook around our necks. The agony of les agneaux belonged to us all along – we are the arbiters of our own fates, and theirs.

Rends-moi un service?

Do me a favor?

Slice up my hair.

Grab your largest chef’s knife. Rip off the shrink wrap, crunchy hairspray. Fry my curls into curly fries, be careful not to oversalt them. Split my split ends, blend some into split pea soup. Save the rest for your afternoon snack.

If everything these days is processed, then what is the process by which we save ourselves from the deep fryer, the fruit juicer? What role do we have on this purlieu of a real place, under the fluorescent glow of the frozen foods aisle? Les guerres are professional here, bite-sized and perfectly palatable, while the truth is too near the gallows to stomach. Underbaked, overwrought, bound to our nutritional information.

Call me back to the supermarket. Buy me a cannibalistic sweater and a cruelty-free bunch of bananas. Beckon me in with a low price and a high stake, burn me by the same. As the flames rise higher, I think only of my mother’s chicken noodle soup, freed from a can, a mush of life and death heated to a simmer. Comfort food.

Rends-moi un service?

Do me a favor?

Carve out my eyes, my ears, my hands, and my nose: Anything that makes me sense the world in its true consumable chaos. With just my heart and my bones, will I be allowed to meander, lovesick and relentless,

Away from the grenades and les grenades

From the agonies and les agneaux

From the gallows and les guerres?

Will I finally be free?

By Annie Brown

the recipe for a human being

This recipe is all the rage right now, and it is an absolute must-try. It’s probably flooding your TikTok feed for good reason. The end product is so delicate and light yet complex and dynamic. It’s a scrumptious little treat that will satisfy any palette. Here’s my own take on the hottest recipe trend: the human being.

Physical Ingredients

1 Heavy heart

2 Eyes that swell upon seeing an old lady feed pigeons in the park

2 Ears that perk up at the sound of wind rustling through tall grass

1 Nose that forever carries within it the scent of grandma’s cooking

1 Mouth that can light up a room with a few slight maneuvers

Skin that knows the true warmth of the sun

- Add a few birth marks that you’re convinced mean something OR a few scars in odd places (you’re just dying to tell everyone how you got them).

A few fingers that run through a lover’s hair

- Don’t panic if you can’t find these, replace with one index finger tracing raindrops falling on a car window.

2 Feet that tap out of rhythm to your favorite song

Non-Physical Ingredients (MOST IMPORTANT, DO NOT FORGET)

A desire to see the infinite beauty in the tiniest hidden corners of the world

A deep-rooted feeling of interconnectedness with all things, both living and nonliving

An ocean of love, gratitude, and adoration for the people closest to you

- Ironically combine with a tendency to push people away for no good reason.

1 Year of self-destructive behavior

- Combine with a few years of therapy.

A handful of guilty pleasures that you need not be guilty about

A fleeting sense of identity

- Served best when completely reinventing oneself

A steadfast appreciation for the present moment

- Combine with a pinch of rumination within self-constructed fantasies. Be sure not to add too much (will spoil the whole recipe).

A few major heartbreaks

- Whisk in with a few crises of faith and nihilistic tendencies.

One bad habit of romanticizing your melancholic solitude

A constant struggle to understand

1 Voice in your head that is convinced you’ve never done anything right, ever

- Can do without (I just prefer the added kick

And finally,

1 Indomitable human spirit.

There you have it: a divine, delicate mess of contradiction, beauty, and imperfection. Be aware that not all these steps and ingredients are necessary and feel free to add whatever you would like.

Not every human being is constructed the same way and no matter what you decide to add or how you combine the unique aspects of you, you will always come out perfect simply because you are human. Now get cooking!

By Shane Shannon

THE SCIENTIST

A day in the life...

CAREER DAY 02

We live in a world where instant gratification reigns supreme and the future seems like a distant, abstract concept. However, with recent advancements in science and technology, the possibility of extending our lifespan and improving our health has become increasingly tangible.

Enter: Bryan Johnson.

At first glance, Johnson’s pale skin, ginger hair, and piercing blue eyes might cause onlookers to question the species from which he originates: in no world could he be human. Most fortyfive year olds are balding with sun spots and droopy skin as undesired accessories — but Bryan Johnson is not like most people. Johnson has achieved the heart of a thirty-seven year old, the skin of a twenty-eight year old, and the lung capacity of a teenager, all because he is the most measured man in the world.

Johnson garnered an influx of attention after Bloomberg published an article titled “How to Be 18 Years Old Again for Only $2 Million a Year.” The piece highlighted the extremities of Johnson’s lifestyle — further outlined in Johnson’s “Project Blueprint” — which depicts a life of unwavering devotion to health and longevity. The Blueprint features a comprehensive daily routine of over thirty doctors and an arsenal of pills designed to meticulously monitor and fine-tune the myriad of bodily functions. This rigorous regimen also requires a highly disciplined diet, consisting of the same foods every day, precisely measured to provide a mere 1,977 calories. Along with

strenuous, daily, hour-long workouts and a thoroughly calculated sleep routine, the unyielding dedication and attention to detail of Project Blueprint represents a new standard of selfcare and health optimization — one that could revolutionize the way we approach our own well-being.

Many argue that Johnson is absurd for sacrificing so much of a normal life to add a few years on to the end of his. Although he argues his extreme behaviors are for the greater good of humanity, should his findings be applied to all individuals?

Through his focus on vitality and

it through lifestyle changes and experimentation.

So, what does all of this mean for younger generations? Should we focus on long-term health to the extent that we sacrifice our social lives and youthful exuberance? Is it possible to have our cake and eat it too? These are complex and nuanced questions that require a thoughtful approach, and the answers will vary from person to person. What is clear, however, is that we have the power to make positive changes in our lives, both now and in the future.

experimentation, Johnson has come to some interesting conclusions about longevity and healthy living, which he shares in utmost detail in Project Blueprint. He believes that sleep is the most important factor in maintaining good health and has also found that certain supplements, such as metformin and NAD+ boosters, can have significantly positive effects on our well-being and lifespan. Perhaps most importantly, he has discovered that our biology is not set in stone, that we can actively work to improve

Balancing the pursuit of healthy living with maintaining a social life is a multifaceted issue. At its core, it requires a deep understanding of what constitutes a fulfilling life, and what sacrifices are worth making in order to achieve it. The key is to strike a balance that works for the individual, taking into account their personal values and priorities, as well as scientific discoveries that are newly available almost every day. Ultimately, the pursuit of longevity is about more than just extending our years — it is about living a life that is meaningful and marked by good health, happiness, and fulfillment. By adopting healthy habits and focusing on our longterm well-being, we can improve our chances of living long and satisfying lives. Whether we choose to follow in the footsteps of Bryan Johnson or take a more moderate approach to healthy living, the important thing is that we continue striving towards a better, more fulfilling future.

By Kelly Gorman

“It is a complex & multifaceted issue to balance the pursuit of healthy living with maintainingsociala life.”

WHILE WE STILL HOLD ON

As a student of the liberal arts, I fear ChatGPT. What will happen to the value of my degree and my future career? I have no clue.

The thought of being replaced by Artificial Intelligence software sounds almost fantastical, with a sprinkle of delusion. But it is so real because it is creeping up on us, declaring this war between humans and technology.

I wonder if we even know where we are headed with the instruments we have and are so eager to employ, because it seems like we are losing control. It seems like we, as the creators of A.I., are being consumed by the technology we so desperately chased after and idealized.

I don’t think this is what science is supposed to be, an imposing force of exploitation and advancement. I pictured an image of harmony, a culture of listening to what nature is revealing to us humans as inhabitants of Earth. But somewhere along the way, we forgot that the joy of life on Earth is not a right, but a privilege. We are here today because our ancestors were attentive to their surroundings and dwelled with consciousness, with open eyes and ears. Meanwhile, we are losing this ability to observe and listen.

being in this world, can engage with it and think. And that is the essence of science, not a reductive definition that we are conditioned to associate it with. What it means to be human is to think in solitude and think with others. Science is our chance to be great with this great gift of thinking.

We are following the orders of technology without second thoughts.

ChatGPT feeds us information while we devour it like nutrients when it’s really preventing us from thinking. Instead of thinking before the rise of A.I., we turn to a machine to give us answers, letting it be the judge of our decisions. We are losing the ability to innovate as residents of this world. We are trapped in the cycle of exploiting and being exploited. Nature is losing her patience with us, and we don’t seem to care.

Let’s rethink the goals of science. Not just forward motion with no regard for the integrity of learning. Anyone, as a

Let’s start being aware of the world and restore our relationship with this place we call home for genuine science. Right now, we are looking but do not see. We rely on technology and machines to guide us when we should be the ones leading. We turn to AI for advice while we neglect the presence of others. We are ignoring the warnings from nature and pursuing a blind ambition of domination. Our relationships with ourselves, with others, and with the world are in pieces. Their fragility worsens as we keep breaking them and never give them enough time to heal. At one point, it will be too late, and there will be no saving power there to rescue us. The arrogance of man still believes we have complete control over science, but the truth is that the domination of either science or man is not the answer. Our relationship with technology is a delicate one. One misstep and we might get forever lost in the greedy search for omnipotence. Taking a step back and recognizing the value in what we have left might not be a sign of regression, but of active reflection and meditation. Pause before we take more while we still hold on.

By Helenna Xu

“We are following the or- ders of technology with- out second thoughts”

ANOTHER SHINY & NEW THINg

The following piece centers around the examination of two pieces of clothing, a tie dye sweatshirt, worn twice during COVID, later to be thrown in the back of a closet, and a black lace corset, purchased just yesterday in anticipation of the owner’s night out on the town.

From the dusty, corner of his vantage, tie dye sweatshirt spotted a new addition to the closet. She was hung on one of the finest hangers his owner had, black velvet with a shiny silver hook. Store tags from her previous home, Urban Outfitters, still dangled from her strap, a taunting reminder of the fact that she was the new, shiny thing. Knowing how short lived this title would be, a week at most, was the only thing that consoled him.

Sure she hung there, seeming to radiate superiority over the other pieces hanging in the closet, or discarded on the floor, but tie dye sweatshirt knew it wasn’t her fault, not really. Afterall, how was she supposed to know any better? She had spent her short life span in the front window of a store, gawked at by the hundreds of trend hungry girls who passed by. Tie dye sweatshirt supposed that there was a time in his life when he felt that superior too. Back in the days of COVID, when his siblings and he were posted all over social media and in the shopping carts of every tween, twenty-something, and anywhere in between.

There was once a time when an addition to a closet was chosen with care. The principles of quality over quantity always followed. Back then, a new sweater would be welcomed into the owner’s closet, made to complement the other,

well-loved and well-worn pieces in the closet.

In closets today, every piece competed for the owner’s attention, wanting so badly to become the piece that defined their style. The tricky part is that seldom clothing owners had style these days. Were they fashionable and able to follow trends? Sure. But did they have a true sense of style? No. They found themselves drawn to whatever they saw in their Instagram feeds. The cycle of their closet was as constant as the changing of tides, nothing ever really stayed in the forefront of an owner’s mind.

Tie dye sweatshirt decided not to hold the past of black lace corset against her. “So you’re the new, shiny thing around here?” he said. “Yes. It was love at first sight for my owner. She knew that she had to have me the moment she saw me and immediately brought me home.” How sincere those words sounded, yet how naive tie dye sweatshirt saw them to be. He remembers the day he met his owner too, she spotted him in a tagged Instagram post and could not whip out her credit card fast enough to purchase him, with two day shipping nonetheless. It didn’t last. He made it a full five days hanging in the front of her closet before being replaced by a mesh mini skirt from a different online shopping excursion.

What tie dye sweatshirt didn’t say was that this experience was not love at first sight, but lust at first sight, something that is easily confused at the moment. Their owner may have found themselves excited about their style at first, but unlike love, the excitement did not

last. Their owner couldn’t help it, she too was caught in that vicious cycle of mindless consumption with no end in sight. Consumerism was what the phenomenon was called and almost every woman from the ages of 13 to 35 fell prey to it. In an effort to fit in with the crowd, they chose clothing pieces that they believed would earn them the approval of others. Because they never really chose these pieces for themselves, once the trend came and went, so did the desire to wear the piece.

There was once a time in which clothing was a true extension of one’s self. You wore what you loved, not just so that others would love it. It was when one found true style that they loved the pieces in their closet the most. Nothing was cast aside in the corners, everything was proudly displayed and worn time and time again. When an owner had true style, their closet was not packed to the brim, it was carefully curated and edited to reflect their authentic personality.

Tie dye sweatshirt knew that he would likely find himself in a trash bag headed to the dump, or if he got lucky, Goodwill, before his owner made this shift. All he wanted was to be loved and taken care of, worn more than a handful of times. It was his wish for some of the other pieces in his owner’s closet to make it one day, even if he didn’t.

Our closets and the planet deserve better than this model of ownership. It is time to step away from the ever growing clothing pile and into the world of slow consumption.

By Elisabeth Olsen

The cycle of th con stant as of tides; ing re- ally forefront of the

eir closet wa s as the chang ing the nothstay ed in the owne r’s mind.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race: How Henry Kerns Changes the Pace of Fashion

We sat down with Henry Kerns, a 26 year old fashion designer based in Brooklyn. He talked about his process, inspirations, and what it is like taking the slow approach to fashion.

By Maddie Schlehuber

Henry kerns

kerns

Q: Let’s start at the beginning. How did you get to having your own brand?

A: I’ve always been interested in clothes but I didn’t think I’d be designing them. Actually, when I studied abroad in London, I saw all of these small pop up shops with indie designs in the storefront and I thought, ‘Oh, I could definitely do that too,’ and that is how I got started in fashion.

Q: So, who do you look up to in the design or fashion industry? Is there anyone that inspires you?

A: Some of my favorites have to be Marigela, Alexander McQueen, and Thom Browne – he keeps the ‘Notre Dame’ aesthetic in his work – and I also get a lot of inspiration from my friends or seeing people in the streets in New York. I draw inspiration from people that aren’t in fashion, too. People love dressing to impress here.

Q: Speaking of inspiration, how did you find your own brand, what makes you unique?

A: I’m trying to create clothes from scratch, and go back to the artisanal way of making clothes. A lot of people are manufacturing, which is great, and I manufacture things if I can’t make them here efficiently. But it feels good to make hoodies and pants from scratch and put them with manufactured pieces in a collection. I’m trying to, you know, be unique in that way. I’m also playing around with trying to blend formal and casual. I feel like a lot of people wear streetwear stuff, and then there’s like, the whole different group of people that only wear formal, and I feel like there’s a crossover between those that a lot of companies don’t necessarily do right now. I want to wear stuff out with my friends and also go to formal events, so I am trying to find that balance.

Q: If you’re making everything from scratch, does that affect what you can produce?

A: This is the first season I have tried to make everything from scratch. It’s definitely exhausting but really rewarding to have a well finished piece

right away. I want to keep doing it this way. Ithink people will see that it’s a hand made piece and will value that more than just a screen-printed tshirt, that it took time.

Q:How does the sewing process go?

A: Learning to sew takes a lot of time and effort, and I don’t think a lot of people are willing to learn and do that. I have a setup in my studio now and I can make pretty much anything there. A lot of people want to go back to the roots and learn how to make clothes from scratch.

Q:How does the sewing process go?

A: I’m really happy with how everything looks... I’ve been making a lot of hoodies, been making pants, jackets, and I’m partnering with a friend who has a factory in Ecuador, they are making me some belts and jackets. Everyday, I’m really seeing what I can add and put on my site. A lot of the things are “1/1” pieces, so it might look like there’s a lot on there, but the pieces are one of a kind, so it is kind of an experiment to see how that goes. Buying in bulk with manufacturing means you commit to at least fifty of that piece, so I would only release like three pieces, but doing it this way making one of a kind I can do a lot more looks. I can do as many styles as I want!

Q:Where do you see yourself going in the next couple of years?

A: I want to still be working in New York. I still want my own label. And I would like to be in a fashion house working on a team. I’m working on design with Reebok right now, but it is like working two jobs! I would love to just be self-sufficient and run my own label, bring my work to fashion week, or have a show somewhere. I think that process is super fun.

Henry’s work can be found on his website, www.henrykerns.com.

a screen- printed t-shirt

MADE piece and will

SEE THAT IT’S A HAND49

THE INVESTMENT BANKER

A day in the life...

BANKER

NINETEEN

I am 19. I had already won. Or so I thought.

“It’s time to find a job,” they say.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I’m only 19.”

“Exactly,” they respond.

“You’re already 19.”

But what if I dream of being something like a doctor or an investment banker?

What if my dream career is one that society has given a mandatory timeline on the process of discernment?

Today, 19-year-olds have to decide right now whether or not they want to attend medical school because they need to start studying, or plan for a gap year later on to catch up.

But no one takes a gap year after college anymore, right?

Better start studying.

Today, 19-year-olds have to decide right now which company they want to work at for the rest of their lives because the best banks recruit in the spring of sophomore year.

If you don’t recruit now, how will you get an offer?

Better start preparing.

I am only 19. But I know I have already won.

I am here at one of the best schools in the world.

I am making some of the best memories of my life.

I don’t want to place undue pressure on myself to be constantly looking towards the next phase of my life when the current phase is already so extraordinary.

Whether I choose to be a doctor or an investment banker or something else entirely in the end, thankfully, is up to me.

Unfortunately, sometimes society places a limit or a timeline with which you feel you must comply in order to compete or even just be successful.

And so I ask: when did our culture decide that it is not only commonplace, but even expected of the nation’s greatest young minds that we should obtain – or at least compete for – our first job offer at this point in our lives?

Specifically 19.

Why not use this time to discern and learn and grow and change and try new things or deepen relationships?

Why place so much emphasis on figuring it all out right now?

Why not in three more years, like how it used to be?

Either way, I urge you to remember: You have already won.

By Jacqueline Cox

It’s a race we’re running with each other at these top universities. You get in so you can get out and work. It’s freshman year of college and people are already talking about having their next three summers all perfectly planned to have them placed into a position at a “top four” by senior year. Sorry – what the heck is a top four? Am I the only one who came into college not knowing that there were “Ivy League” jobs? My plans this summer consisted of lifeguarding and swim coaching, the same thing I’d done in highschool for the past few summers. It’s only freshman year, after all. I’ve still got time before I need to hunker down and sell my soul to a nine-to-five, right? Right?

To be honest, I’ve never been so sure that such a lifestyle was meant for me, anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I one hundred percent plan to get a job after college – I’m not forgoing society to live out the rest of my days in a yurt or anything – but I never saw myself deliberately pursuing a career that I have no passion for other than the salary. If I’m going to be committing myself to an indoors desk job, it’s going to be for something I genuinely enjoy, or in a place where I feel as though I’m making a genuine difference. Upon arriving at college, I was surprised to see how many people just don’t think like that.

The general pattern seems to be that students at elite universities want elite jobs, and elite means high-paying, prestigious, and nothing about individual passion or world improvement. It’s a bleak reality, but some would say it’s a pragmatic one. Work to live rather than live to work. The job might suck, but it can fund a killer vacation.

Now, although choosing a rigorous, high-paying job may fund a luxurious life, these are also the types of jobs that require an outrageous number of hours, especially when you first start. And while superiors will tell you that it gets better eventually, to move up in any job, especially these, requires dedication and often hours worked overtime.

roads lead to consulting.” After graduation, whether our degree is in finance or gender studies, we take off our cap and gown and replace it with blazers and neck ties, our uniform until our life’s end.

I know that I’ve got the rest of my life to work, which is why I’m in no hurry now to impress future employers with a fancy internship my freshman summer. I know that I’ll get a decent job one day, whatever it is, which is why I don’t get intimidated when someone tells me I need to hurry up and get a “real” job. I know that the uniform isn’t the only way of life, which is why I pour my time into the discernment of my passions rather than the bolsterment of a superficial network for a job that I wouldn’t even enjoy.

The unfortunate reality of corporate America is that after college, you’re going to spend the rest of your life working until retirement. If your life is going to be consumed by your job regardless of which position you chose, you might as well choose a job that you’re somewhat passionate about.

The job hunt after college becomes a second round of the college application process. People get so. Damn. Competitive. At an elite university, most students are going to be offered jobs that are impressive no matter what they are. The sad thing is that for a lot of people, regardless of their unique undergraduate degrees, a lot of the jobs that students take after college look the same. As the saying goes: “all

You could say that the ability to seek a job in accordance with one’s passion is a privilege that some people simply cannot afford to have, and you may be right. But privilege is also using your family’s connections to land a spot in a “top four.” Privilege is also being hired by a firm solely because of the name of your university and not your skill set. There is nothing privileged about desiring a job that is fulfilling and in which one has the capacity to make change in the world.

As the days go by, I’m continuously surrounded by people who have the mindset that the uniform is the only path to a good life. I know that dreary years await me if I finally give in and put on the uniform, but sometimes I feel like I’m running from a hurricane. There’s just no escape. How am I supposed to set foot into a world and accept a job just because it makes me money when I don’t even know who I am, what the nature of the world is, and what my place should be in it?

By Jane Miller

What’sthe “workingpointoftolive”ifeitherway boundyourjobisyourtobecome life?

BreakinG the BomBshell

ho is the American “bombshell,” and why do we revere her? Perhaps equally important (and far less overtly asked) who is the American “bombshell,” and why do we resent her? There is a complicated identity that accompanies such a title and an even more complicated way of perceiving those who are known by it.

Marilyn Monroe, Brooke Shields, Kim Kardashian, Sele na Gomez, Emily Ratajkowski — the bombshell connotes an aura of unimaginable beauty and power, and it often feels as though the ubiquitous nature of the media is designed to persistently remind us what it is about her that we should simultaneously attempt to be but to which we will never amount. In doing so, the media also enables us to more easily remove the humanity from the figure, as she becomes more of a commercialized entity than an individual woman. Hence, the perception of her perfection fluctuates alongside our satisfaction with her when she reveals her true nature to us.

Ifwedo,we holdontohope that

a way that she is really only allowed to exist as a point of reference or objectification. Often, the beauty standards that bring large- and small-scale celebrities or influencers into the public sphere in this idolizing way are a product of the structurally dense “male gaze.” It is easy to resent this notion but harder to pinpoint the culprit of subsequent frustration. If we do not resemble the bombshell, we resent her for that. If we do, we hold onto hope that the public will maintain their lustful reverence of her. We hardly wonder how she might be quietly struggling with the systems that have elevated her, and we almost never wonder why we blame her for benefitting from them.

When an influential woman photoshops images of herself to mask her flaws, it is viewed as wrong — she is establishing unrealistic expectations for what beauty is and, consequently, enabling the rest of us to feel insecure about all of the ways we do not meet them. At the same time, when the bombshell is photographed in an angle or light that showcases her imper fections, the widely-spread images incite a series of their own harsh criticisms. She’s really let herself go. Who let her walk out of the house like that? When did she put all of that weight on? Oh, it must be because He left her.

The female icon is positioned in the world in such

This dichotomy is easy for us to ignore because of the mediums and mindsets we engage in that dehumanize the bombshell. She isn’t allowed to feel insecure because, in many ways, she is still profiting from her image. For whatever reason, she has found herself in the limelight, and we subsequently place the duty on her to use it in a manner that personally benefits our own images.

The bombshell cannot photoshop her waist to be smaller without scrutiny in the same way she cannot gain weight without scrutiny. The bombshell cannot be stunning without also displaying some other superficial, desirable personality traits that align with who we want her to be. The bombshell cannot be human in the same way that we can — and, if she is to be human, it must be for the betterment of everyone else.

The bombshell did not build the systems that enabled her to rise, so when and why has it become her responsibility to subvert them?

By Victoria Dominesey

In the words of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: bombshell (noun) bomb·shell (bäm-shel)

a) one that is stunning, amazing, or devastating

b) a person who is the cause and object of sensational and usually widespread attention, excitement, or attraction

Imagine – being defined primarily by others’ reactions (stunned amazed devastated attentive excited attracted disgusted in like in love in hate turned on turned off tuned in obsessed obsessed obsessed) to you.

She must be exhausted.

By Caroline Kranick

CAREER DAY

THE ATHLETE

A day in the life...

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic ushered us into the age of Zoom, a lot of different people’s faces have popped up on my computer screen: friends catching me up on their lives, professors reciting lectures, relatives struggling to un-mute themselves on unfamiliar technology. Still, a former Division 1 basketball player-turnedmodel is a new one for me.

Referring to Julie Henderson as a model seems like an oversimplification. She is, as I mentioned, a former basketball player for the University of Notre Dame, as well as an actor, a writer, and, according to the bio of her (now largely inactive – but we’ll get to that) Instagram account, a “hair whisperer.” She’s also a font of the sort of sage-but-never-boring wisdom that, for the lucky listener, feels like it could serve as a pretty sound navigational tool for roughing the choppy waters of life, love, work, adulthood – the works. From the moment she appears on my screen for our interview, I’m struck by her self-possession, a poised sense of calm evident even in spite of the nearly thousand miles of physical distance separating us. This is a woman who knows herself – her real, authentic self – and her worth. No mean feat in a world characterized by conformity and commodification.

Although, she confides, this sense of self was not always quite so fullyformed, nor did it spring up effortlessly overnight. After graduating with an enviable set of collegiate athletic and academic credentials, Julie embarked on what seemed like the most obvious course of action: corporate job, city apartment, sense of security, etc., etc., etc., . . . and she hated it. Far from the dream life and legitimate fulfillment it offers to some, this path proved unsatisfying for her, ultimately incompatible with what she describes as her “desire to be in the world in a way you can’t fit in a box.” So, disinterested in the road ahead of her, Julie journeyed about as far away from that path as a person can get.

The modeling industry is notoriously impossible to enter and infamously difficult to navigate, and yet Julie dove into it headfirst, marching straight into a new city and unfamiliar line of work without knowing how exactly it would

all play out. While this sense of the unknown likely seems anxiety-inducing to many, Julie counters that notion by pushing against the idea that any path is quite as secure as it seems. “What is really security in this lifetime?” she asks, describing the question as a personal mantra. Better to pursue passion, even if it might appear less traditionally stable than other routes, than dawdle in an area of disinterest that could ultimately prove to be just as insecure (but far less gratifying). Certainly, the journey she chose was not always easy — she candidly discusses how “it took a while” to resist the pressures to intermittently lose and gain weight that plagued the earlier days of her career — but, with the tenacity of a lifelong athlete and competitor, Julie persevered. She muscled through the toughest moments of an inherently bumpy career path, weathered all of the storms of uncertainty that swirled around those early days of her modeling work, mentally and emotionally got “in shape for her life,” as she puts it – “the ups and the downs, the nos and the yeses.”

And now? Now, Julie knows who she is and who she isn’t, what she wants and what things she would rather avoid. I used the word “authentic” to describe her before, with some slight trepidation; “authenticity” is the sort of buzzword that gets thrown around so liberally these days that its use now often evokes more eyerolls than interest. However, the word feels genuinely appropriate here. Speaking with Julie, you get the sense that she truly, wholeheartedly means everything she says (and that she wouldn’t say anything she doesn’t).

To be authentic doesn’t necessarily mean to be wholly available to everyone in every sense, however – a distinction not always made in our society’s present state of social media and screen affixation, where the impulse for endless sharing often reigns supreme. While there can be a power in online openness and the choice to share personal things within a broader community, these actions can also, with the wrong intentions, take a turn for the worse; if our existences are commodities, it’s important that we sell ourselves accordingly, right? Recognizing this

potential for depersonalization – and not gaining much herself from the experience of an online existence – Julie has made a choice that is somewhat radical in the modern age and especially for someone in her industry: she’s off of Instagram. The date of her most recent post? June of 2020. Though models like Julie can make hundreds, thousands of dollars per post (and rack up an invaluable degree of public exposure to boot) all with the mere click of a button, she has opted out altogether. The way in which she was encouraged to use the app was characterized by the conflicting pressures placed upon a model in the public eye, to strike an impossibly perfect balance she describes as “making yourself feel regular but also beautiful” without straying too far in either direction, and all of this pressure strained against what Julie refers to as “a gut instinct.” What began as a twoweek sabbatical from the app after receiving hurtful comments about her biracial identity ultimately evolved into a three-year hiatus once Julie realized “how happy I was being off it . . . just the freedom” that she felt. This is not to say that Julie and Instagram have forever parted ways, however, as she is currently toying around with the idea of returning to the platform. For this to happen, she says, she must first figure out a way to exist on the app that also answers the question, “how can I do this in a way that is true to me?” Because that is what Julie Henderson does, what she ensures is at the core of all of her undertakings and endeavors: a commitment to herself.

Julie states this with an offhand, casual confidence when I ask her about the thought process underlying certain life and career choices she’s made. Talking to her, you get the impression that she’s spent her life figuring out how to foster that fire, tending to the flame with the respect and attention that it – she – deserves. We could all stand to learn a thing or two from someone who’s commanded both the basketball court and her own life’s trajectory like Julie has.

By Caroline Kranick

“There’safireinme.”

BE “IN” OR BE YOU

Trends create a culture of conformity; if one does not stay up to date with what is “in,” they are quickly categorized as “other.” Fashion is an ever-changing industry that constantly provides new trends and new ways of thinking to the forefront. From the runway to streetwear, fashion trends remain an integral aspect of our existence, influencing the way we dress and how we choose to express ourselves.

Our desire to conform to the trends of society has in itself become a uniform. For many, Y2K was a high point in fashion. Throughout the 2000’s, outfits featured everything from clunky shoes and bright, graphic colors, to bandanas and low-rise jeans. These items have made a huge comeback, with models and influencers fully embracing Y2K staples. Trends create a culture of conformity, with the presence of social media inducing a ripple effect as fashion, food, or even sounds go instantly viral. Whether a pair of jeans or the infamous tomato and feta pasta, trends move from the internet to reality at an alarming rate.

One might question whether there is anything original at all in this world. Mark Twain famously suggested that “there is no such thing as an original idea,” and while old ideas can be transformed into new, curious combinations, these ideas are ultimately the “same old pieces of coloured glass that has been in use through all the ages.” As clothing becomes an inseparable aspect of our lives, fashion has a significant influence on society, and we see the reclaiming and reinventing of previous fashion trends on the daily.

While changing fashion trends create a competitive environment that continues to inspire the next generation of

fashion designers and fashion followers, individualism is increasingly lost. Given an excessive orientation towards new fashion trends, traditional designing practices and associated cultures can be lost as we exist in a society seeking to fulfill a capitalist desire at the quickest pace possible.

Whilst one may argue trends promote uniformity, clothing trends have simultaneously been instrumental in challenging the status quo. The rise in gender-neutral clothing, with many opting for fashion that does not adhere to gender binaries, provides our current generation with the freedom to express themselves in a way that feels most authentic and personal.

Clothing trends act as a form of uniform, fostering a sense of belonging and unity among individuals. Trends play an important role in promoting identity and inclusivity. From rising interest in sustainable and ethical fashion to genderless fashion, by selectively choosing the trends we follow, we can shape the future of fashion.

However, if trends are blindly followed without any thought to personal style of expression, they can reduce individuality. The school uniforms that spurred so many arguments have taken a new form in our allegiance to trying to keep up with the next best thing. We have to recognise how social media has drastically influenced the way we present ourselves to others. The endless pool of information we have access to encourages our uniformity, and we must develop a clothing belief system to define ourselves divorced from online influence.

By Mae Brennan

“Our desire to conform to the trends of society has in itself become a uniform”

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