Inbetween Magazine

Evolving Through Fashion

By Giuliana DePergola

Simply put, fashion is cyclical. Whether the trend is flare pants, mom jeans, chunky white sneakers, or round-framed eyeglasses, it’s common practice to borrow from past trends to repurpose patterns and update fabrics, as well as tweak designs to blend in with current times. Fashion updates are what makes this business a dynamic aspect of society. Culture, customs, celebrity style, social media trends —even the Royal Family leaves an imprint on fashion.

Historically, fashion has been used as a form of expression, dating as far back as the 1770s with the British publication, “The Lady’s Magazine,” which was distributed monthly as a pamphlet inserted in newspapers. This magazine dominated the market with a circulation of 16,000 for over 50 years. Following on the high heels of The Lady’s Magazine, the successful Lady’s Monthly Museum and The New Lady’s Magazine served as a tool to separate society into groups —and even exclude people who didn’t ‘dress the part.’

Fashion is often an outlet for many students, many view it as an escape to dive into the world of creativity. Fisher College was once a women's only college, and from the start it has supported the fashion community. A good example of Fisher’s support is through the Fashion Society’s launch of the college magazine titled the Inbetween Magazine. This student-led magazine is priced at $10, and proceeds fund the next production of the magazine and to the annual Fashion Show that takes place Tuesday, May 2 at 5pm.

In a conversation with third-year Fisher student, Kendra Sadler, she shared how the Fashion Society at Fisher sources materials and clothing. She said they sometimes buy fabric and designs, but they also shop thrift stores to find clothes that can be repurposed.

Sustainability is front-of-mind for The Fashion Society, to which Kendra adds, “Over the last few years, the fashion industry has been at the center of controversy surrounding the environmental impact of fast fashion and clothing production. Learning that about 10 percent of annual global carbon emissions come from the fashion industry, as a consumer, I ask you to think about your consumption level and how you can be a better contributor to help the climate crisis.”

While focusing on sustainability, the Inbetween Magazine also highlights cutting edge photography, modeling, and the latest fashion trends. Its mission is to express social media trends, graffiti, and the beauty of fashion to students within a club that creates events like spring and fall pop-up shops, and the upcoming Fashion Show with the goal to bring together the Fisher community and, ultimately, to create bonds and friendships among students.

Kendra also shared how much effort the magazine takes to publish. “This really is a team effort,” she said, “Everyone comes together for pictures, ideas, and modeling to get this out.” The final product is published as an outlet for Fisher students and is considered a portal to express their voices and creativity.

In a more focused effort, the Fashion Society has relaunched a former Fisher tradition dating back to the ‘60s and ‘70s, when Fisher College was a women-only junior college. Each year, the students would hold a fashion show to showcase the designs created by its students. Catherine Murphy, assistant professor and program director for the Fashion Merchandising program, reflects on the Fashion Show saying, “The Fashion Program has a wonderful history with the Fashion Show. It used to always be the end of the year extravaganza at Fisher College. The Fashion Show was brought back in 2021, after almost 8 years without it. It was a huge success, and everyone loved it!”

Once the Fashion Show relaunched in 2021, the Fashion Society realized how much it brought the Fisher community together. The scheduled May 2nd Fashion Show will focus on a theme of sustainability. When you attend the show, please know that every item you view on the models who take a walk down the catwalk —was made with recycled materials.

For students interested in joining the Fashion Society, please email ksadler@fisher.edu or follow @fisherfashionsociety on Instagram to view the meeting schedule.

Giuliana DePergola is a first-year Communication and Media Studies major at Fisher College. She can be reached by email: Gdepergola@fisher.edu