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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Toronto chapter.

Edited by Tasmiyah Randeree

True story: I’m an intern at a trending digital magazine covering pop culture, contemporary fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Much of my work focuses on fashion news: what are designers presenting on the runway, what are the up and coming trends for Spring 2019?

Of the many fashion shows and events I have covered, Her Campus’ College Fashion Week in New York was one of the most unique and inclusive events I have attended specifically because of how inclusive it was, and I’m not just only talking about racial, gender or body inclusively. Up until this event, I had never heard of a College Fashion Week, nor a market specifically targeting collegiate women.

Walking into a Brooklyn studio, I was greeted to a vastly different picture of a fashion show: instagrammable content EVERYWHERE, freebies (thanks to sponsors such as Primark, Ulta Beauty, Almay, Eos, and SABRE), and a room full of fashion-conscious collegiate women like myself. Never before would I have imagined myself in a literal Instagram-worthy heaven, nearly drowning in a pool of lip balm at a fashion show.

The space was vibrant and high-spirited, channeling the sprawling, urban haven that is New York City.  The runway featured normal, collegiate women modeling trendy fall collections courtesy of Primark USA (that anyone can thankfully afford and actually wear) and an exclusive #GirlPower collection that is bound to empower fellow fashionistas and smash the patriarchy.

 

 

Of course I was immediately star struck meeting Windsor Western, one of the founders of Her Campus, who shared the same sentiments as many other women in the room. “Fashion Week is such an important moment for the fashion industry, college women are super passionate about going but they’re not invited, right. New York Fashion Week is not for them. They’re not wanted, they’re rejected and its very unrealistic,” she states.

 

“I wanted to create a real runway. A real fashion show made for college women, real bodies that can rock the runway.”

At mainstream fashion events, fast fashion is looked down upon. The industry is seen as something for the ‘ordinary,’ and a fashion journalist like myself walking into a fashion week event is not taken seriously for the same reasons.

College Fashion Week presents itself as a platform for college women of all backgrounds and channels voices that would otherwise be ignored by other mediums. By allowing collegiate women to participate and attend a curated Fashion Week event, it provides an opportunity for them to grow and feel empowered!

 

Ann Marie Elpa

U Toronto '21

  Ann Marie Elpa is a third-year student at Victoria College at the University of Toronto St. George. She majors in both English and Book and Media Studies, hoping to pursue a career in journalism. Apart from being involved with the HerCampus team, Ann Marie currently serves as the President of Alpha Omicron Pi's Beta Tau Chapter and has bylines in NBGA Mag, The Varsity, The Strand and HuffPost. She is also a brand ambassador for companies such as Sephora, Bumble, Michael Kors and Hallmark. Ann loves a good Starbucks coffee and a rom-com. 
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