By Lanie Cauthen
Pinstripes and graphic t-shirts lined the runway at “Corporate Americana” – a fashion show from Winthrop’s Fashion Club.
The event, held on March 13 in Rutledge Gallery, celebrated Black culture by defying the fashion of the American workplace. The pieces worn by the models were styled by Winthrop senior Carrie Vaughn.
“In corporate America, I think of standards,” Vaughn said. “I think of norms. I think of boundaries. I think of hatred against creativity, against who we are as people, against individualism. I think monotone and discretionary – just terms that are meant to force us to be trapped inside of ourselves.”
Models wore corporate attire blended with streetwear – subverting typical workplace expectations.
“Corporate Americana, to me, was supposed to be the exact opposite,” Vaughn said. “I wanted to give a chance for people to look different, to be different, to put colors, to put colors, but texture, textiles and different places, and open that up for interpretation.”
Each model showcased three different looks during the show. Winthrop sophomore Adelaide Sprawls said the event was a great experience.
“I love the opportunity to put myself out there on photo shoots in different fashion events,” Sprawls said.
The show was a chance for members of the club to become closer, Winthrop sophomore Brianna Lambert said.
“Every single one of us can be ourselves. We all became friends because of this and I love the experience of being able to network,” Lambert said.
Winthrop Fashion Club spread a message of environmentalism during “Corporate Americana” by reusing and thrifting the clothes used in the event.
“At any show that we host, you won’t see fast fashion,” Vaughn said. “You will see a lot of reused pieces out of other’s closets or out of anything that we can find. So, we just want to reinforce that message because environmentalism is a huge, huge, huge problem and our waste of material does impact our planet.”
Vaughn hopes the show demonstrates the importance of shopping secondhand.
“Seeing this show should be an example of the power that thrifting and secondhand shopping can have on individuals and how you still can be creative while using secondhand pieces, Vaughn said.”
Models are needed for the next show. Winthrop’s Fashion Club will host the “Denim Days Fashion Show” on April 17 at 6 p.m. in McBryde Hall. The event is a partnership between the fashion club and Winthrop’s Student Advocacy and Trauma Support to advocate the importance of consent. Attendees are asked to dress in Denim attire.
“I want people to know that it’s not intimidating,” Winthrop freshman Jael Hodges said. “When I first joined, I was really intimidated because it seemed like a lot of people were doing it, and there is a big group of people. It’s like sectioned off. You will find your people.”
For more information about the fashion club and upcoming events, follow @winthropfashionclub on Instagram or join their GroupMe at https://groupme.com/join_group/99412465/Q8BvmuPi?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAafJCGsnU26j7cIzGiqQJ6r2Rkgt0vUC_WlwC9JywlRlINkkrXsvc9Cag3ryUQ_aem_YTW5GAx5E_RFvL1AqjJjHg.