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HOMME Q&A WORDS BY Tessa Poulain ILLUSTRATIONS BY Sarah Riedlinger
A Q&A with Matt Welsh, President of Homme Men’s Fashion Organization.
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NEW SEMESTER always welcomes new activities, clubs and organizations around campus. Many are seen at BlastOff each year, but there are always some organizations formed after August that many students aren’t aware of. One of these organizations is Homme: the first and only organization dedicated to men’s fashion on Kent State’s campus. Many conversations in the fashion world revolve around a woman’s figure, but the board members running Homme sensed the lack of conversation about men’s fashion and thus, Homme was born. I conversed with president Matt Welsh over email to learn more.
zation coordinator responsible for reporting important emails and information to the executive board. Aaron Touris is our graphic designer and helps with the creative side of the organization. Alex Towcimak is a creative consultant for Homme. Scott Earley is the treasurer responsible for all financial needs. Natalie Krutsch is the organization secretary. We are all sophomore fashion students, except Tyler whose a sophomore architecture student. And Tammy Cullen is our wonderful academic advisor.
Q: About how many people are a part of Homme?
A: Homme Men’s Fashion Organization is the first and only student organization on campus that strives to share interest in menswear and men’s fashion. We named the organization “Homme” for two reasons: it’s a French word meaning “man,” and it has a powerful and professional sound when it’s pronounced.
A: Since we launched our organization last September, we have 25 paid members and over a hundred people on our email list.
Q: What is Homme? Why did you decide on the name, “Homme?”
Q: How many board members? Who are they? A: We have six board members running the organization. I’m the organization’s founder and current president. Tyler Turskey is the organi-
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utive board is sophomore fashion design / merchandising students (plus one architect), we felt a lack of presence within the menswear community on campus, in the classroom and out. A lot of the fashion design courses here are crafted towards learning about the female figure and women’s wear. There needed to be a course or organization that could shed some light on the male aspect of the fashion industry to even the playing field. Now, with this organization being a real deal, it gives students who are interested in men’s fashion an outlet to communicate, learn, and meet new people. Hopefully in the future, this organization can give high school graduates another reason to apply to the Fashion School at Kent State. Q: What is your main goal with this organization? A: Our main goal is to provide a space for community, learning and networking opportunities for the fashion enthusiast.
Q: Why was it started? A: We started the organization for mainly one reason. It had to be done. As most of our exec-
Q: Do any of you design any men’s fashion or do you just meet and talk about art and fashion?
