Fashion Clubs collaborated across state lines to host a virtual fashion show. Tahoe Ikumi, Santa Monica High School Club President in California, and Ella Deveaux, Westview High School Club President in Oregon, talk about their recent collaboration and their vision for the next school year.
How did you first learn about FIDM Fashion Club?
Tahoe: I joined FIDM Fashion Club when I was a freshman. I found it appealing, so I decided to join and fell in love with it. It gave me a new passion and a new hobby, fashion, and I am so grateful for all of the opportunities that I have had during this club.
The future is bright. What are your dreams and aspirations for the year ahead?
Ella: I’m about to go into my Senior year of High School, and I’m very excited to experience my last year before heading off into the world. I’m planning to continue my role as Fashion Club President, as well as work to make my own prom dress out of a vintage wedding dress in time for my senior prom.
Tahoe: My vision for our club is to give back to our community. We also want to do more fashion shows with other schools as well. I want to inspire other club members, and create a happy place where it’s open for other people to join and we can focus on just moving forward.
Tell us about your recent virtual fashion show.
Tahoe: I always wanted to do a fashion show since I saw FIDM’s DEBUT Runway Show. I told [FIDM College Representative] Cecile Fayen, and she put me in contact with the Club President of Westview High School, which is in Oregon. It took us a while to get everyone involved and on the same page, but through Zoom meetings we were able to find a way to get everyone together and have a fashion show actually come together. Now my partner and I are really close. We still message each other on Instagram.
What was the theme of the fashion show?
Tahoe: My Co-President came up with the idea to do a theme of post-pandemic renaissance. Then, we came up with little break out groups for everyone. We started to discuss what we thought the post-pandemic renaissance would be, and how it would be reflected in our fashion designs.
Ella Deevaux & Tahoe Ikumi
How did everyone come up with a design?
Ella: My partner and I had the idea to create outfits based on things that we felt were going to trend going forward, mainly the monochrome outfit trend -in my case sage green, and her case lavender. We each picked a trendy color, and made monochrome outfits out of those, then we included some accessories featuring our partner’s color.
Tahoe: My partner and I wanted to represent our designs as our feelings. I came up with a design for my partner, and my partner came up with a design for me. She wanted to feel excited but also set-back, so in my design I decided to add a lot of layering as representation of comfort. I also decided to add a belt to represent security, and colorful patterns to show excitement. Once I made the design, I described it to her and she interpreted it in her own way. She went thrifting and found clothes at home that could reflect my design.
For my outfit, once I saw her design, I picked out things that looked similar in my closet and put those together. We also Facetimed each other to see if what we had picked out represented the other person’s design.
What was your favorite part of collaborating with another high school for the virtual fashion show?
Ella: I loved being able to meet like-minded people and experiment with fashion with them. Fashion and design have always been very social things for me, and I love being able to work with people and feed off of each other, as far as ideas and creative energy.
What advice do you have for FIDM Fashion Club Presidents stepping into a leadership role for the first time?
Ella: Definitely work to be confident. You’ve come far in life in order to have this role, so own it. Don’t be afraid to dream big for your club. If we can do a virtual fashion show across state lines during a global pandemic, you can do anything.
Tahoe: Even though I am President, I try really hard to have members be on the same level as me. I take initiative, but I don’t overtake my role as a leader. I think that a leader should just lead, but also help everyone stay together and organized so that the club can move forward. This way they can communicate with me and we can have a team that works together. My advice is communication, so that you understand what your club members want and you can listen to their opinions.
Do you have advice for recruiting club members?
Ella: Social media! Post about it on your own Instagram, TikTok, Twitter. More people will already be following your personal accounts than your club ones, so it’s a great way to get new people interested. We have an Instagram page, and we use it to attract new club members and to share information with current members.
How do you create engaging activities for your club meetings?
Ella: I generally start by thinking of activities that relate to fashion that I personally would love to do. I try to think of things that can result in actual objects for club members to gain from the project to make it more worth their time. My favorite activity we’ve done as a club is decorating our own tote bags together over Zoom. My Co-Presidents Sarai came up with the project idea.
Who is your fashion icon?
Ella: My number one fashion icon would definitely be Jung Hoseok from the group BTS. I love the way he puts such unique pieces together, while also being able to make even simple outfits look good with the help of accessories. His fans call his form of style and its influence, “Hobicore.” [It features] lots of bright colors and fun, costume jewelry-inspired accessories. I would 100% say that that’s the kind of style I’m always striving to have.
Tahoe: My favorite fashion icon is Naomi Watanabe. She is a japanese influencer, and everything is very big and very gold. I want to be someone like that, who influences people in a positive way and still creates change that influences people positively.
Did you have a favorite fashion show this year?
Tahoe: Issey Miyake’s 2021 Spring/Summer collection was a fashion show that I was really awed by. It’s high end and very expensive, but also comfortable for daily wear. It’s so practical too, because it’s stretchy, foldable, and zips into a small little pocket.
What do you think the trends will be for the upcoming year?
Tahoe: I think that the fashion trends that I am seeing right now are very classy. It looks really put together and I personally like that style. As a person coming out of the pandemic, you want to look put together moving forward.
How would you describe your personal style?
Ella: I would describe my style as very eclectic and colorful. I enjoy taking inspiration from all sorts of styles to create my own look, but in the past year I’ve been gravitating towards clothes inspired by skater styles androgynous fashion in general.
Tahoe: My mother and my grandmother helped me grow my style. My name is Tahoe, which is a pretty unique name, and so from a young age my mother dressed me in very different clothing. Right now, I am really into thrifting old designer pieces, but I have also been interested in buying pieces that come down from fashion shows.
Anything else you would like to add?
Tahoe: First of all, I would like to thank [FIDM College Representative] Cecile Fayen for making all of these opportunities possible. She helped me navigate our club and connected me with opportunities virtually [this past year]. Another thing I’m grateful for are my club members. I am very happy that my friends are part of that club, because they make it fun and productive. Without them I would not be able to move forward with our club and get things done.
Anything else you would like to add?
Tahoe: First of all, I would like to thank [FIDM College Representative] Cecile Fayen for making all of these opportunities possible. She helped me navigate our club and connected me with opportunities virtually [this past year]. Another thing I’m grateful for are my club members. I am very happy that my friends are part of that club, because they make it fun and productive. Without them I would not be able to move forward with our club and get things done.
Santa Monica High School Fashion Club model their looks
