Student Style Spotlight: 10/07/19
I’m sure the painful experience of waking up to an ear-shattering alarm as your amazing dream crumbles into the harsh reality of another weekday is familiar to all of us. The effort of digging out a cute outfit seems like an insurmountable task, and most of us can barely put together a pair of shorts and a t-shirt as we rush off to class. This student spotlight is a celebration of those who manage to show up in something aesthetic, cute, and stylish perhaps not every day, but on an occasion where a Rouge writer happens to see them. You guys deserve a little recognition!
This is Ava Castro!
She’s a first-year majoring in fashion merchandising. She’s often seen wearing something incredible and uniquely her own, so we asked her a few questions to get better acquainted with her style.
Where are your favorite places to shop?
My favorite places to shop in Athens so far are Atomic and Dynamite in downtown. I haven’t been to every shop yet, but I really like the funky and wide range of clothes they have in their collection. Most of their stuff is genuinely vintage which is super cool, and that means you’re going to get a piece that no one else has. In Atlanta, my hometown, I really like to go to the Goodwills and Plato’s Closet. I know that there are some of those in Athens, and I recommend those too!
Who or what is your fashion inspiration?
A lot of my fashion inspiration comes from people I see on Instagram. Here are some of my favorite accounts with lots of style:
@iamkareno
@liberty.mai
I’m also really inspired by fashion trends from the past. Anything that looks or is from the past always captures my eye, even if it’s a current look or photo.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
I would describe my fashion aesthetic as bold. I find myself drawn to anything that looks vintage or striking. I like things with lots of color and things that make a statement. Therefore, I think my aesthetic is something along the lines of retro/vintage and also funky street style.
What else should people know about you?
Shameless plug, but my Instagram is @green.gardenia! I’m sharing this because I try to make my Instagram very fashion-oriented, and I post “outfit of the week” videos every Friday! If you’re interested in fashion or want inspiration, then you can find a lot of what I like to wear and my style on my Instagram. Some other facts about me: I dream of becoming an eco-friendly/sustainable fashion designer! I really care about the environment so the fast fashion industry is something that I would like to tackle in my profession. I also really like visual arts. My biggest dream is to attend the Met Gala.
What is your favorite item in your closet?
It’s super hard to choose just one thing in my closet because I personally have a lot of fashion essentials. However, if I had to choose one, I would probably choose this super cool authentically vintage dress that I got from Paris! Second would have to be a bright beaded purse that I believe is possibly from the ’60s!
This is Olivia Sharp!
She’s a second-year student majoring in MIS with a minor in Spanish. After noticing her colorful and stylish outfit while walking to class, we wanted to spotlight her great style and get to know her a bit better.
Where are your favorite places to shop?
My favorite places to shop are any thrift stores, T.J.Maxx, and online boutiques such as Dollskill or prettylittlething.
Who or what is your fashion inspiration?
I love Zendaya because her outfits are very versatile. She can get elegant, she can get cute with some streetwear, and another favorite is Instagram model María Isabel because her outfits are just different things that you can’t find in fast fashion, and they’re kind of vintage pieces too.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
I would describe my aesthetic as like boho colors, lively and colorful, anything like that.
What else should people know about you?
I resell vintage/thrift finds! Follow my Instagram @thriftsbyolive. Basically, I’ve always grown up thrifting. My mom runs a thrift/vintage resell page on eBay and she kind of always just wrote me into that lifestyle of going to thrift stores, and then when I got to college I needed some side money so I started going to thrift stores such as Goodwill in the Athens area and I just started reselling on Instagram.
What is your favorite item in your closet?
I love all of my shoes! I’m very OCD about all of them! I’m a firm believer that shoes make or break an outfit.
This is Ariyon Hamm!
You may have seen this second-year fashion merchandising major around campus with her beautifully coordinated thrifted garments, custom jewelry, and a trademark puff of vibrant blue hair. This week we were able to sit down with Ariyon and get to delve into her fashion inspiration, history of jewelry making, and what her style means to her!
How would you describe your style?
I would describe my style as alternative. I’ve always been kind of different regarding my fashion sense. Coming to college especially and buying my own clothes without a dress code, allowed it to kind of manifest itself. There’s no real celebrity inspiration or anything, it’s really just about what I enjoy. However, my style is largely inspired by my mom and my sister. My mom especially influences my style because she also dresses with alternative flair and often is dyeing her hair different colors. My whole family is often dressed in black and we all make jewelry which has to do with our style as well.
Speaking of jewelry...you own an online jewelry business. Tell us more about that!
When I was young, my grandmother taught me how to make bracelets and as I got older my mom began making earrings and such to cope with stress. I’ve been making jewelry since I was about 10 but took a break for a while. I really felt inspired to begin again when my mom picked it back up. I really wanted to start my own business because I already liked making my own jewelry. I always said I wanted to start one but never took the initiative. I knew that if I didn’t just go out there and do it, I never would. People would also often say that they would buy my pieces off of me, so this was a motivator. I really just made an Instagram, started creating pieces in bulk, and began selling on that platform. It started out as bulky chains that can often get pricey, but I wanted to try and make the inventory cheaper so that anyone could wear it. Then people started asking if I made other pieces such as earrings and other daintier jewelry, so I began to branch out. Ever since then, I’ve just been trying to put out products as often as possible that would cater to everybody!
**You can find Ariyon’s jewelry business on Instagram at @linksbynami)**
How do you curate your style?
A lot of my clothes come from thrift stores and vintage shops. There’s usually no real thing that I’m looking for but I definitely have to think about everything that’s in my closet when I shop and pick things out accordingly. I don’t ever want to just pick random pieces that I have nothing to pair with so I really have to consider everything I choose. I pick out a lot of black pieces, I often don’t gravitate toward colorful clothing. I try to find things in the realm of “edgy” and am often drawn to unisex and find myself shopping in the guys section as well. It’s very diverse.
What does fashion mean to you?
I decided in 2nd grade that I was going to do fashion. So, I feel like it is just me expressing myself. I don’t know how but over time I have become super introverted. Even though I don’t like to talk much, I love walking in the room and have people thinking/saying, “Oh she looks nice, I like her look”. My biggest thing is just that I do not want to look like anybody else. I would love to go into styling or forecasting. If we’re being real, my goal is to live up to Cher. She’s iconic and everything I aspire to be in fashion.
This is Ibtisam Akindele!
This third-year fashion merchandising and marketing major from Nigeria gave us a look into her unique DIY style, her pop-up business, and what inspires her within her own fashion inspiration.
How would you describe your style?
I would say my style is vintage streetwear. I thrift a lot so that is where I get most of my pieces. I really just enjoy unique things. I dress vintage in general but I really like to mix in modern pieces and streetwear. I like patterns and colors but I also enjoy the minimalistic style. I’m not very over the top like I wouldn’t wear neon...that’s not me. Even though I occasionally lean toward the minimalistic side, I always love pairing with statement pieces. I own a lot of jackets because with my body shape and my taste jackets often suit what I want to wear, especially statement jackets. I usually find a way to incorporate one statement piece such as a top, jacket, jeans, and pair it with basics.
Where do you like to shop?
I thrift almost everything but I occasionally do like to mix in luxury pieces. However, if something is more expensive, it will be a bag or something. When I say expensive though, it will often be from my mom’s wardrobe or something she no longer uses because it’s not in my price range. I would say my mom is my style inspiration. She has so many nice pieces in her closet that are things I like. Honestly, I would say that I often “shop” in her closet. But otherwise, most pieces are vintage or thrifted.
Tell us about your DIY/Pop up business!
I will buy and revamp vintage pieces that I find for resale. I plan on having a pop-up for my clothing when I return to Nigeria! It really goes with the current target market for youths because everyone is interested in sustainability and individuality with their clothing. It can be hard to find these pieces so I really want to be able to open that market in Nigeria. This venture is something that is new for me but I have always been DIYing my own clothing. I’ve done everything from cropping t-shirts to sewing things to existing pieces. My goal is to be a fashion designer or a creative director of a brand, maybe even my own. I’ve always been a creative person so I see opportunity in pieces that I find. Something may be ugly but if I buy it, it could become a fabric or something that could be combined with an existing piece. I like joining things together and making them better than they were before.
What is your favorite piece that you have bought or made?
I had this suit that I wore to my High School graduation that just sat in my closet for years. It had this really beautiful blue flower print pattern that I loved but really didn’t see myself wearing anymore. I was planning on going to a VFiles X Depop event and had nothing to wear. So I turned the pants into a skirt, cropped the jacket, and reattached the bottom of the pant legs as sleeves. Just because it was something that I redesigned, it made me more excited to wear it and that’s how a lot of my closet is.
Keep an eye out for our next spotlight!
It was a pleasure getting to know this bunch, a sample of the many outstanding students on this campus. UGA is filled with stylish students with big aspirations and accomplishments, and Rouge loves to give a platform to hard-working, creative people-- keep an eye out for more spotlights in the future!
Want to be featured?
Send us your outfits on Instagram!