Abstract to Tangibility: How an Issue is Born

It all starts with a glimpse of an idea. A whisper of inspiration heard through the conversation of a stranger, the sound of a bus horn and the movement of the world around us. It all starts with an idea. For Haley Pearson, creative director at Rouge, her inspiration comes from “seeing life move around [her].” When brainstorming the abstract idea for an issue, Haley likes to get outside and simply observe. She watches people move around her, “What are they wearing? What are they talking about? What are they not wearing?” Pearson observes it all. By immersing herself in the outside world, Pearson feels she can feel the cultural landscape around her, and that is when inspiration hits.

But what’s next? How does an unmolded fragment of a concept get transformed into a tangible aesthetic for a shoot? Collaboration. The first thing Haley does when she gets a wisp of inspiration is share it with her close partner at Rouge, Nick Cucchi, editor in chief. Together, they collaborate to start to mold and shape an idea into a real concept for the issue. Visually, Pearson and Cucchi find their inspiration for the concept through Pinterest. As they begin to create mood boards, the issue slowly starts to take its shape. However, an issue is not a one-man show, of course. From there, Pearson and Cucchi notify the Rouge team of the concept for the issue. A shoot is like a puzzle; you cannot see the full picture without all the pieces. Beauty, fashion, and photography are all crucial to the actualization of an issue.

Maura Rutledge, head of fashion, says that “fashion is a form of nonverbal communication.” Rutledge finds that once Cucchi and Pearson share the concept for the shoot with her, she can express the story Rouge wants to tell through her stylistic choices. “Symbolism can be seen through various pieces, different silhouettes, and colors,” says Rutledge. The concept becomes more molded throughout the creative process, each time by a different hand of Rouge.

Once Rutledge begins brainstorming the shoot, she enlists her styling team, and they begin conceptualizing and creating lookbooks for the theme. Something special about the community around Rouge is that every piece seen in a shoot is all from the closets and wardrobes of our own stylists. As a student-run organization, every piece must be allocated by the team themselves. Not only is the brainstorming and planning a communal effort, but every look is also a tangible display of community and collaboration.

On the day of the shoot, it all comes together. The final corner piece of the puzzle is pieced together. The modeling team, stylists and beauty crew, along with Cucchi and Pearson, meet and start prep before the shoot. Rutledge and the styling team compile all the pieces they have collected and lay them out. The team starts pairing pieces together, matching one piece, switching it up, adding something, taking something out, until they finally have the perfect look. The styling team does not stop until they find that the pieces they choose tell the story of the issue. As Rutledge explains, fashion is communication. A story told only through fabric.

After styling and beauty are done, everyone is off to the shooting location. Whether it be a blank studio or deep in the greenery of a forest, Pearson says location is crucial in conveying the message of a shoot. The location and background of the shoot are the first things that set the tone of the concept. The woods during a sunny day conveys a visual message of whimsy, freedom and life, but a dimly lit bedroom conveys a sense of safety, comfortability and community. Location matters.

Once on site, the beauty team performs a few touch-ups, and then the models are ready. At this point, the photography crew begins working. Pearson says a crucial part of the photoshoot is forcing the models out of their comfort zone and “making them feel silly.” The best shots from a shoot come from when the models are experimenting, “throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks”, Haley recalls. Attention to minute details plays a huge role in the storytelling at Rouge, and the photography crew catches it all. The expression on a model’s face, how one is leaning their body, how one’s shoulders are slightly arched— all of it tells a “nonverbal story.” At the shoot is where the message of Rouge truly shines through, where everything falls into place. Pearson says the magazine’s biggest rule is that “we are a team.” Fashion alone cannot display the full concept; modeling and posing can only illustrate so much and beauty only tells one piece of the story. But when it all comes together, the abstract concept is finally fully cohesive and tangible, telling a larger-than-life story. Rutledge explains that on a shoot, collaboration is inevitable. “There has never been a time at a shoot when I felt like I haven’t been able to step in and throw out an idea,” Rutledge states. There are no hard divisions on a shoot; everyone is a team. “I trust them so much,” Pearson says about the team at Rouge. At a shoot, every creative mind is involved.

Collaboration and creativity continue to stay at the core of Rouge. Each semester, an abstract concept gets shaped and molded, every time by a different hand of Rouge, and an issue is born.

Editor: Sydney Annis