The fashion industry is rapidly revolutionising, and its catalyst is a young generation calling for sustainability. In college, the Trinity Fashion Society (Fashion Soc) has been committed to this mission, as well as promoting young Irish designers, models and photographers. Holly Warren is one person who wants to develop their reach by founding a magazine to focus on Trinity’s talent.
“I am very adamant that it will be a magazine for art instead of advertisements. I want there to be a big focus on sustainable fashion, and featuring Dublin-based designers”, said Warren, speaking to The University Times. “The magazine will emphasise that you can still achieve a really cool look while shopping second-hand”.
While Warren spearheaded the idea and will be running the magazine, Fashion Soc will be backing it and providing the project with resources and connections. “It’s obviously Holly’s idea and her vision, but it ties into the Fashion Soc as a route to make it happen and connect it to other people in Trinity and fashion. We are able to link Holly up with our connections in Trinity and help her realise her vision”, said Juno McCluskey, the Fashion Society’s social media officer.
Warren admitted the idea came to her after watching the seminal and cult classic The Devil Wears Prada but the magazine is also drawing inspiration from various sources, including Rebecca Ewenetu’s magazine yEWth. Ewenetu has incidentally also worked with Fashion Soc in the past, as she spoke on one of their recent panels. “[Ewenetu] gets loads of young people to come on and show their designs, and their style and everything,” said McCluskey. Warren envisions the fashion magazine for Trinity to be in a similar vein.
In an interview with Ciarán Howley for the University Observer, Ewenetu explained, “Each shoot I direct and photograph for yEWth usually consists of a loudness and forwardness which is all drawn from the inspiring Nigerian creative scene”. Her work focuses on the creativity of Ireland’s youth, but Warren’s magazine will narrow this focus down to Trinity students’ talent and Dublin-based artists for a more focused nucleus.
“I think it would be really cool to include Trinity’s own models and photographers. There’s such a broad range of talent that can be utilised in this magazine,” said Warren. Until they receive the proper funding, the magazine will be online. However, as a keystone of the magazine is sustainability, this must be kept in mind if they decide to print their issues.
The magazine will also be published seasonally to ensure that it can properly encompass all of the people, events and subjects that it wants to showcase. The first publication will be released sometime after the Fashion Soc fashion show so that it can feature all of the talent displayed there.
Sharing some snippets of what can be expected from the upcoming fashion show, the theme of which has recently been announced as an exploration through the seasons, entitled ‘Primavera’, McCluskey emphasised the importance of college students’ efforts in Ireland’s fashion scene. As she notes, “It showcases the talent in Trinity and Ireland, because the Trinity fashion show is basically the only fashion show in Ireland that showcases Irish designers. It’s not just independent designers, we also have big brands coming in, and there’s no other way they can showcase their stuff,” said McCluskey. She continued, explaining “It’s such a cool thing, but it’s also kind of sad that the only way is through college-run fashion. And I love it, it’s very professional, but they need to start making it not just a college-run thing”.
The magazine is a new venture into Ireland’s sustainable and youth-driven fashion revolution. While a name for the magazine, as well as its other features, are still in development, it is an exciting development for one of Trinity’s most popular societies and one to look out for in the upcoming months.
