Every year in August, collegiate women take to social media to show off their most stylish looks as they go through sorority recruitment at Ole Miss. During football season, the Grove transforms into a fashion runway, and the boutiques on the Square are never without business on any given weekend.
Amelia Sweeney and Gracie Brooke, both sophomore integrated marketing communications majors, sought to provide more opportunities to students interested in careers in the fashion industry through their new club, the UM Fashion Panel.
“We wanted to showcase people’s styles at Ole Miss and show that Ole Miss can be a fashion school even though we don’t have a fashion major,” Sweeney said.
Brooke, the club’s vice president, shared how the organization started.
“Amelia and I started it with Professor Mark Dolan (associate professor of integrated marketing communications). He wanted to do a fashion show, but he didn’t know how to execute it, and he didn’t know if people really wanted to,” Brooke said. “So after class, Amelia went up and was like, ‘We really want to do this.’”
Dolan explained why he felt there was a need for a fashion outlet for students.
“The panel came about through conversations about the need to reflect fashion as part of UM culture. (Sweeney and Brooke) both have tremendous energy and enthusiasm for wanting to start the panel, which has taken off like a rocket,” Dolan said. “I think there’s a pent up energy, not simply for clothes, but for the phenomenon of fashion, as art, as a value, as self and community expression.”
The show, slated for the spring, is not limited to a certain style and welcomes involvement, Brooke said.
“We started UM Fashion Panel with the goal to showcase the style of all UM students and the Oxford community and with the goal to eventually put on a fashion show in the spring led by students and for students,” Brooke said.
In the meantime, the newly registered student organization has several ways for students to show off their outfits. Any student can submit photos of themselves in their favorite outfits to PhotoCircle, an app that allows users to share photos, which is linked in the organization’s Instagram account for the chance to be posted. Over 130 people have joined the Fashion Panel PhotoCircle and there are already over 1,220 student photo and video submissions.
Even though the club just became a registered student organization on Nov. 8, it already boasts approximately 90 members with an additional 250 in its interest GroupMe. The organization is open to any student, and the only requirement is a shared interest in fashion.
Kate Drawbaugh, a senior finance major from Lovettsville, Va., who is the UM Fashion Panel treasurer and head of finance, explained why she got involved.
“Just the concept of it is that we’re all coming together because we love fashion and want to showcase something here at the school, but we’re all definitely doing it for different reasons,” Drawbaugh said. “The one main thing is love for fashion, which is pretty cool.”
Sweeney offered her opinion on why so many students want to be involved with the UM Fashion Panel.
“I feel like there’s not really that many outlets for people who are really into fashion, because I know so many of my friends are,” Sweeney said. “We have the emphasis in integrated marketing communications, that’s what I’m doing, but we don’t really have that many fashion classes.”
While many students live a fashion-forward lifestyle, the University of Mississippi has no official fashion major or degree. The closest area of study one can pursue is a specialization in fashion promotion and media through the integrated marketing communications degree path.
To achieve the specialization, one must meet the integrated marketing communications degree requirements and complete IMC 314 Fashion Promotion and Media and IMC 315 Fashion Merchandising. Additionally, students must choose between IMC 309: Introduction to Video Storytelling or IMC 376: Commercial Photography, another pre-approved three-credit hour fashion-themed course or a three-credit hour fashion-themed internship.
Brooke echoed the sentiments of Sweeney and Drawbaugh.
“Everyone comes here to shop, and you walk to class, and you see so many people who are dressed up for class and the Grove itself — there’s all this fashion,” Brooke said.
In the months leading up to the spring fashion show, the organization plans to host smaller fashion-centric events for members that aim to raise funds and build community.
Along with upcoming events and joining as a general member, students can participate by joining committees, Drawbaugh said.
“We still have members, but we also have committees, so there’s a lot of people on committees where they do more of the helping out and stuff, but anyone can really help out,” Drawbaugh said.
In recruiting new members, Sweeney reiterated the club’s desire to attract students from all corners of campus.
