Fashion Feature on SMA's Head Stylist Helen Majano
As the head of styling for the Student Merchandising Association at UGA, fourth-year Helen Majano has made her mark when it comes to fashion fits and being bold around campus.
I recently sat down with Majano, a fashion merchandising major with an emphasis in brand management and a minor in general business from Canton, Georgia, to talk about what inspires her when it comes to her style, as well as what trends she thinks are on the come-up.
Where do you get inspiration when it comes to your style?
Right now, because I don’t really go out that much, I’ve been getting my styling inspiration from social media like Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube. Celebrity-wise, I usually get my inspiration from Bella Hadid, she is a queen, as well as Devon Carlson. Some of the influencers I really take inspiration from are Lucy McFadin — her and her sister — but especially Lucy. She just really owns her own style and I love that, so I try to gain that same inspiration from her. I also really like Lindsay Vrckovnik and Tori Breugel, and just a lot of people from Copenhagen and Sweden. I love the fashion over there — Scandanavian fashion. I pull from them a lot. All of the different color palettes are so fun, especially since I really love dressing in color and mixing patterns.
Pictured above: looks from SMA’s “Road Trippin’” shoot
Instagram: @uga.sma
What made you want to get into fashion more?
In high school, I was actually on the healthcare track, but once I started learning more about it, I just knew that science wasn’t for me. I didn’t really know I could have a career in fashion until I was picking a major at UGA. I kind of just went back to my childhood roots, when I used to love dressing up and use my clothing as self-expression, so I just decided “Why not study fashion?”. I also really liked the brand management side because I could do something creative within a business setting.
“I kind of just went back to my childhood roots, when I used to love dressing up and use my clothing as self-expression, so I just decided ‘Why not study fashion?’”
What do you want to do after college?
My end goal is to be a creative director for an existing fashion brand, but I’m also in the entrepreneurship certificate here at UGA, so possibly having a label of my own would be cool. That’s kind of in the back of my mind though. However, my current graduation plans are to find a way to live in London over the summer, but if the vaccine isn’t as widely spread and the pandemic is still really bad, then those plans might be halted. I was supposed to study abroad there and have an internship last summer, but unfortunately, because of COVID, it got canceled. Right now, I am looking at jobs in New York City because that’s where I want to end up, but because I have been in school for sixteen years, I do want to have this summer as my last summer to sort of be a kid. Just traveling and experiencing things I haven’t been able to, but of course, that’s reliant on COVID and the state of the world. Other than that, I’ve been looking at jobs such as assistant merchandiser, fashion styling, e-commerce — basically anything creative — but with a bit of business and analytics. The job market for fashion is very competitive, so we will see what happens.
How do you expect your style to change over the next 5 years?
I don’t have a specific style, I would say I dress very eclectic, and I like to pull inspiration from everywhere. As I said, I’m really into Scandinavian fashion right now, but that could definitely change within the next year or so because fashion is ever-evolving. With social media at our fingertips, we just see so many trends and styles changing all the time. I think my style is going to change with the times, especially as this year goes on because I enjoy dressing to match my mood. Or if I have one specific piece that I want to wear, I will style an entire outfit around that.
Helen’s instagram: @helen_majano
What do you think is going to be the next big trend?
I think one of the next big trends is going to be escapism, almost cosplay in a way. Because we have been in a pandemic for over a year now, I think people are going to try and use fashion as a way to escape these realities. For example, dressing up in disco wear because I can, and I haven’t been out in so long things like that, or shows like Bridgerton and Victorian-era styling with all of the corsets coming back. I just think using these pieces to escape to different decades and realities is going to be a lingering trend this year, maybe even going into 2022. Wow, that’s really weird to say, 2022.
What has been your favorite trend throughout the past year and the beginning of 2021?
My favorite trend this year is probably going to be pattern mixing. I just love how it looks. I think mixing basics with statement pieces like accessories and bags has been fun, and I love that, but I think the evolution of that trend is going to be pattern mixing, and I’m really into that too. Also, tie-dye was really big last year, but this year I think psychedelic or groovy prints are gonna be really big. I also just think disco wear is going to be big. Similar to how the roaring 20s were right after the Spanish Flu. I feel like if the end of this year starts to go back to normal, then disco wear is going to be huge — like elegant silhouettes with really fun prints and patterns to express ourselves after what was such a hard year for everyone.
Pictured above: looks from SMA’s “Victorian Dreams” show, @uga.sma
How has being head of styling for SMA shaped your style and how you dress?
Honestly, I dress up way more than I did before. As head of styling, I feel like some people do look at me for fashion inspiration, in a way, because I think about when I was just a general body member and I would look up to the head of styling at that time. Especially during the shoots, and just how the process of styling models went for a lookbook or a fashion show. I feel like it taught me a lot about how to dress and styling my own outfits. It also helped me recognize how to stick to a certain theme with my outfits. For example, we did a Euphoria-themed lookbook, and it helped show me how to stick to a certain genre or embody the true style of a specific trend. Also, as a fashion student, I just feel like I have an obligation to dress well — which isn’t true — but I love the opportunities I’ve been given to advance my style. Especially through SMA, I’ve been given a place where I can expand my portfolio because, without it, I would have no styling experience. It has also helped remind me of just how much fashion is utilized in places that we wouldn’t even necessarily think about, like on TV shows and in movies.
Our theme for the magazine this year is “Ode to the Icons,” which iconic Vogue Editor-in-Chief inspires you the most and why?
Obviously, Anna Wintour is an icon, but I have just taken inspiration from Vogue, as a whole, ever since I was little. I would buy magazines just to look at the ads and all of the different stories that they told, as well as how designers would incorporate ideas from past seasons and decades by putting a modern twist on them. For example, Gucci always pulls inspiration from past decades like the 50s, 60s, and 70s. I mean, everything Alessandro Michele is doing at Gucci right now is amazing, and I wish I had the money to buy everything. Vogue just made me appreciate fashion, and not take it so literally. It helped me look at it as more of an art form, as opposed to just clothes.
If you want to see more of Helen’s killer looks, make sure to give her a follow on Instagram! And check out SMA for more fun shoots and runway shows.