I SSUE 03 SPRI NG 2019
Erin Kim
WHEELS AND WHIRLS
Taylor Santucci NATURALS Sidney Madden
BOOK IT
Sidney Madden
OFFBEAT
Caitlin Doyle SUITS Taylor Santucci SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
On the Cover
Contents
Photography Caitlin Doyle Model Elizabeth Karlovics Styling Taylor Santucci HMUA Elizabeth Karlovics
Editor’s Letter College is a time of experimentation and self exploration — a time to develop our own unique styles. Our fashion choices can reflect these same principles. This Fashion Network issue is the product of old and new styles merging, as one executive board graduates and another enters. Our style will inevitably change under new leadership, but we will always remain committed to creative collaboration. This year, yea we worked with the Champaign-Urbana community, doing location shoots at local laundromats and bookstores. We collaborated with brands for the first time, including a student-run clothing company and a Chicago-based swimwear line. We had new general members join and try on different creative roles within the club. As we remain the only fashion publication on campus to facilitate our own photo shoots, these series of moments strung together highlight our semester as a group.
Contact tfnuiuc@gmail.com Social Media @tfnuiuc President/Editor-in-Chief Erin Kim// Sidney Madden Creative Director Caitlin Doyle// Taylor Santucci Finance Director Jasmiat Oyolola// Kasey Kim Social Media & Marketing Director Sabrina Wu
Transitions are hard. Goodbyes aren’t easy. But new chapters await. Welcome to our next chapter.
\\ Copyright 2019, The Fashion Network UIUC All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or distributed in any format without prior written consent of the publisher
BOOK IT By Sidney Madden On a Sunday morning in late March, Fashion Network photographers and models took over downtown Champaign’s Jane Addams Books. For two hours, TFN roamed around the three-story independent bookstore. Models climbed ladders and sat on shelves. Photographers experimented with fluorescent, natural and fairy lights. Jane Addams Books is notorious for its wide selection of books. Locals and tourists alike have been traveling to the independent bookstore since it first opened in 1984. Only recently has it also become an increasingly popular photo shoot destination. Libraries and bookstores have unique backdrops for shoots. Stacks and stacks of books offer uniformity in a photo that many viewers find asethetically pleasing. As a result, photographers can play with different techniques, including angles, vantage points and poses. Similar shoots by other organizations have models in a variety of looks, ranging from grunge to businesswear.
Stylist: Taylor Santucci Model: Amari Maisonet Makeup: Amari Maisonet Photographer: Liz Karlovics
Models: Sneha Pathuri, Nargiz Alekberova Stylist: Christine Uhrich, Alessandra Lanier Makeup: Amari Maisonet, Taylor Santucci Photographer: Sabrina Wu
While all models had their own unqiue looks, layering clothes and jewelry added texture and dimension to each final outift. The store’s warm light was complimented by each model’s gold jewlery and made all these seemingly different looks more cohesive. Layers give photographers and models the liberty to experiment by taking on and off pieces which can completely transform a look.
Photographer: Liz Karlovics Stylist: Alessandra Lanier Makeup: Kaitlyn McCann Model: Kaitlyn McCann
Model: Kaitlyn McCann Makeup: Kaitlyn McCann Stylist: Alessandra Lanier Photographer: Sabrina Wu
Model: Liz Karlovics Makeup: Liz Karlovics Stylist: Alessandra Lanier Photographer: Sabrina Wu
Student-run sustainable brand challenges fast fashion industry.
By Sidney Madden
When Vikas Sharma and Thimira Bandara were sophomores in high school, they decided they wanted to create something. Disillusioned by the mundane routines of their peers and driven by their desire to make an impact, Sharma and Bandara decided to dip their toes in the clothing industry. Fresco was their custom sock and clothing company. Mantas Treciokas was childhood friends with Bandara and had his own entrepreneurial ambitions. After seeing Bandara promote his apparel on social media, Treciokas wanted in. “I just wanted to do something with our time, create something interesting and provocative,” Treciokas said. With Treciokas on board, the three decided to reevaluate their purpose. What did their clothes represent? What did they, as a company, stand for? They decided to rebrand as Offbeat Apparel, an environmentally sustainable clothing brand that promotes consumer individuality and creative collaboration.
Treciokas designed Offbeat’s signature rocketship. Sharma said their brand has “become a juxtaposition of nature and space.” While every shirt has this space theme, the executive team reaches out to local artists, illustrators and graphic designers to design new shirts. In the spirit of creative collaboration, the executive team also finds different musicians in the community to promote their apparel on social media and at shows. Offbeat is not only a sustainable fashion brand but also a sustainable business model. Sharma said, “A good thing about a clothing brand is that it’s an investment and grows over time.” Bandara said they have changed their business model to optimize profits and cut costs. Instead of continuously dropping new apparel, a new shirt release is followed promoting an old shirt. Their brand has also given them experiential learning they regard more valuable than traditional classwork. ***
Photographer: Taylor Santucci Stylist: Alessandra Lanier Makeup: Liz Karlovics Model: Liz Karlovics
Stylist: Alessandra Lanier Model: Danielle Carnivele Makeup: Taylor Santucci Photographer: Taylor Santucci
“We strongly believe the best way to learn is through mistakes,” Bandara said. “We feel that school, while important, isn’t teaching kids the right way to learn and kind of makes you afraid of failure.” The three friends hope to make a living off Offbeat and its profits one day. As freshmen, they are trying to get acclimated to campus, build brand recognition in the Champaign-Urbana community and connect with other creatives. They hope to build an Offbeat app. Looking into the future, they hope to change the fashion industry and consumer behavior by spreading the awareness and intentionality that drives their business. They recognize that these goals can only be met with the help of others. “We believe the best things come when people come together and create something,” Bandara said. “Also, in this day and age, entrepreneurs, creators, artists, YouTubers, we need to stick together to grow in this society because it is a not traditional path you take, right?”
Model: Irene Ryu Makeup: Irene Ryu Stylist: Taylor Santucci Photographer: Paul Timothy
Photographer: Paul Timothy Makeup: Colleen McCann Model: Colleen McCann Stylist: Alessandra Lanier
A twopart series featuring
“suits.”
Written by: Caitlin Doyle
maya angelou beyonce knowle rosa parks
es Over the past couple of years, many
significant statements have been made in the name of feminism. We’ve seen the Me Too movement come to light, the demand for equal pay, a
Model: Irene Ryu, Marzena Mysza Makeup: Alex Paramo, Kauryn Karmazinas Stylist: Esme Chang, Colleen McCann Photographer: Paul Timothy
female candidate run for president, and many marches to hear their voices. We have seen how fashion has decided to take their stand politically. Anna Wintour, Vogue’s editor-in-chief, noted during this year’s spring Paris Fashion Week that creative and powerful designers are pushing gender
Model: Irene Ryu Makeup: Alex Paramo Stylist: Esme Chang Photographer: Sidney Madden
Model: Irene Ryu Makeup: Alex Paramo Stylist: Esme Chang Photographer: Sidney Madden
boundaries between menswear and womenswear with clothing that can be worn by both sexes. Wintour commented that she hopes department stores follows runway designers lead and adopt the androgynous clothing trend.
Model: Alessandra Lanier Makeup: Alex Paramo Stylist: Erin Nadel Photographer: Taylor Santucci
Model: Miranda Mottlowitz Makeup: Kauryn Karmazinas Stylist: Kaitlyn McCann Photographer: Paul Timothy
Maria Grazia Chiuri, the first female artistic director of Dior, also presented a female-empowered collection in Paris. Her models wore t-shirts that said “Sisterhood Is Powerful”, “Sisterhood Is Global” and “Sisterhood Is Forever.” Feminism is taking the lead in the fashion world. Despite numbers being down in the past, female designers and creatives are starting to change how things are done.
Model: Alessandra Lanier Makeup: Alex Paramo Stylist: Erin Nadel Photographer: Sidney Madden
Model: Erin Nadel Makeup: Alex Paramo Stylist: Erin Nadel Photographer: Paul Timothy
the future is female.
An uplose interview with Joanna Duda, owner and creator of Pirillo.
oyle
ed
Design
itlin D a C : y b
Model: Liz Karlovics Makeup: Liz Karlovics Clothing: Pirillo Swim Photographer: Erin Kim
did you get started & what
was you inspiration? I had
always had a hard time buying swimwear, I felt like everything was either $10 and crap, or $200 for a “luxury Australian label brand,” which no college girl wanted to pay. So I started looking into (spent most of my spring break just digging, honestly) where these. “Australian label brands” were getting/making their swimsuits, and then I just used the same suppliers and now sell them for $150 less. I don’t think you should have to break the bank to look and feel good.
your brand unique? At Pirillo we believe
that every girl can be a badass - you can see from our pictures that our girls come in all shapes and sizes. We don’t limit our models to a size 0 with perfect blonde hair. Our models are real girls with real ambitions, wearing swimwear that shows their true beauty. There’s no push-up bras, no “slimming waists,” none of that crap. We are always voicing that you should be proud of your body, not matter what.
Model: Amari Maisonet Makeup: Amari Maisonet Clothing: Pirillo Swim Photographer: Caitlin Doyle (left), Erin Kim (right)
to describe your brand.
REAL. Probably my biggest compliment to the brand to date is “wow you actually use real girls to model your swimwear!” The models are in no way photoshopped or retouched. We take girls based on their attitudes rather than their looks. FUN. I hate to brag but our photoshoots are actually so fun (sorry not sorry). I won’t give it all away but when all the girls are asking to please book them for another one… SLAYING. Look good AND feel good. My main goal is that every single girl that wears a Pirillo remembers the girl boss she is and gets out there like Beyonce going on stage.
Model: Liz Karlovics Makeup: Liz Karlovics Clothing: Pirillo Swim Photographer: Caitlin Doyle
did it all start? May 16th, 2018
was the day it officially opened online. I started using Shopify which was a huge help, because they have website templates, handle setting up your shipping, taxes, returns, etc. Then August of 2018 we started selling our products in Generation Bliss boutique in Lemont. Where
do you see your company in 5 years? I would love to see it as
a team of full time people! Whether it’s just two to three or up to twenty, I think that would be awesome. Model: Amari Maisonet Makeup: Amari Maisonet Clothing: Pirillo Swim Photographer: Caitlin Doyle
Model: Liz Karlovics Makeup: Liz Karlovics Clothing: Pirillo Swim Photographer: Caitlin Doyle (left), Taylor Santucci (center), Erin Kim (right)
is your biggest inspiration?
Alison Victoria for color coordination & beautiful designs, and Chris D’elia to remember to never take yourself too seriously. What’s
something that makes your company stand out? Instead of coming out with ‘new arrivals,’ to the store, we come out with ‘collections’ that have a central theme, color scheme, mood, or story behind them.
I would love to rent out an empty store downtown Chicago for a weekend and have a pop-up shop. I know it doesn’t seem huge, but it’s the tiny steps that make big things happen. It would also be cool to have a permanent space - the front half would be a tiny storefront, and the back half would be for photoshoots.
Model: Kate Bruce Makeup: Amari Maisonet Clothing: Pirillo Swim Photographer: Caitlin Doyle
piece of advice would you give to college graduates who also want to become independent business owners? 1. If you’re
thinking about it - just go for it. It’s much easier than it looks actually, and you’ll learn so much. I’ve learned more in one year about negotiating, people, business, taxes, etc., than my four years of school. 2. Do your research; the more of a concrete plan that you make, the better off you’ll be. Figure out all the little problems - how are you going to deal with returns? What if the post office loses your package? What if someone isn’t happy with their purchase? Get ready for these things sooner than later. Model: Amari Maisonet Makeup: Amari Maisonet Clothing: Pirillo Swim Photographer: Caitlin Doyle
3. Although my most important tip is to take a day off - which sounds ironic, but it will help you from burning out. Most businesses fail because people hit the ground sprinting and keep going until they just don’t want to do this anymore. Overcome this by making time for yourself and taking a break from always being a business owner. Everyone needs a day off. Pick a day or two in the week where you don’t look/ think/act/do anything about your business. I promise it will help you in the long run.
Model: Danielle Carniv (left), Liz Karlovics (right) Makeup: Amari Maisonet, Liz Karlovics Clothing: Pirillo Swim Photographer: (left) Erin Kim, (right) Caitlin Doyle
We loved working with Joanna! She creates amazing pieces. At the end of our shoot all of our models bought the swimsuit they were wearing because they loved it so much. Model: Amari Maisonet, Liz Karlovics, Danielle Carniv, Kate Bruce Makeup: Amari Maisonet, Liz Karlovics Clothing: Pirillo Swim Photographer: Sidney Madden
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
Jasmiat Oyolola | Paul Timothy
Erin Kim | Caitlin Doyle | Danielle Carnivele | Alessandra Lanier