College Fashion Week (CFW) is a fun fashion show event that Her Campus Media has hosted since 2012. Each year, they bring together a number of sponsors to provide fun activities, giveaways and shows filled with the latest fall trends. This year, they held two CFW events: one in Boston and one in New York City. As part of their commitment to diversity, the shows featured real college women on the runway. The Boston event was held at the Revere Hotel on October 13 and we got a chance to go! Here is a brief overview of how CFW went down in Boston:
Activities:
From a DIY friendship bracelet bar to the hair and makeup bar sponsored by Ulta, there was no shortage of things to do in the dazzling hour before the shows started. Primark had a number of photo booths set up with clothes and cute decor. Each booth had a description of one of the company’s values written along the outside of the booth: current, engaging, ambitious and inclusive. EOS had a pit filled with purple EOS balms, ready for cute pics. By Chloe., the adorable vegan bakery, catered cookies and banana bread for the event while Almay handed out fun flavored popsicles.
Giveaways:
Upon arrival, each collegiate attendee was handed an Ulta goodie bag as well as a CFW tote filled with other surprises. The Ulta bag had a combination of drugstore and high-end cosmetics and skincare products. A few notable items were the Too Faced Pineapple Paradise Strobing Bronzer, the Tarte Lip Architect Lipstick and Liner duo and the Maybelline Electric Shine Lip Gloss. Meanwhile, the tote carried a more varied selection including an RX Bar, Pop Chips, a Diva Cup and a $5 Primark gift card.
Sabre, a safety brand that sponsored the event, gave out bags of their own with practice pepper spray bottles, drink testing kits and keychain personal alarms. They also had a program where they would donate a dollar for Breast Cancer Awareness for every picture posted with their hashtag.
Shows:
The first show was entitled Modern Nomad, by the presenting sponsor, Primark. The clothing gave a super bohemian chic vibe. Featuring outfits with statement jackets paired with hats and accessories galore, the clothes were perfect for this fall season as well as the winter.
Following a break, the second show began. The socially-conscious brand Matter created Printed Paradise, featuring Primark accessories. The show offered a modern take on heritage prints, true to the Matter brand, and a fun sample of geometric patterns. The staple piece was a pair of printed pants with large angular pockets. Several models wore these in various prints, which carried a comfortable yet fashionable feeling.
As all good things must come to an end, the event ended with the third show: Power Pose. This girl power show featured clothing from the HCXO.shop, Ali & Ariel, Feminist Goods, Sleep Riot and Primark. There were a number of t-shirts sporting empowering phrases. There was even a cute moment when two girls, wearing t-shirts that said “Peanut Butter” and “Jelly,” respectively, fist bumped. The important idea of girls supporting other girls threaded into the final show really sums up what Her Campus is all about.
Reflections:
Nia: As a freshman in college, I’ve never been to College Fashion Week before, but I have attended Her Campus’ Her Conference and I love the style of their events. College Fashion Week definitely met my expectations. I’m so excited to try out all of the free products they gave us. My favorite part was probably the number of photo opps – the EOS balm pit looked so Insta ready! I would definitely recommend this event to anyone who’s interested in fashion or beauty at all. In addition to all of the looks on the runway, there were so many well-dressed girls at the event. It’s just a really fun event to bring together the local collegiate community and I really appreciate that.
Ilana: I went into College Fashion Week with no expectations or idea of what the event would be or look like. Upon arriving at the venue, I was blown away! The amount of planning and thought put into the event was obvious, even down to the smallest details. College Fashion Week was a true celebration of women, and I loved how feminist-forward the event was! In contrast to many fashion shows, College Fashion Week featured women who reflect what women look like in real life. Body positivity at its finest! From the amazing giveaways to the sheer number of photo opps, the night was a success and I already know I want to go back next year!