Many students are passionate about fashion and have no place to connect with others as interested as them. Senior Dayanna Rodriguez went to substantial lengths to create an environment for students to show off their personal style and make new friends, starting Warren Hills Regional High School’s first Fashion Club. 

Rodriguez said it was a whole process to create the club. For her, it went a little different. When she was starting the club, the Club Fair was happening. So she had a good opportunity and perfect timing. 

 “I wanted to do this for other kids who were interested just like me because there are not many opportunities for us at this school unless it’s designing the clothes or the business side of it all,” she said, “but those are courses, not specific clubs to attend.”

Rodriguez said starting a club can be a difficult process. She had to have   all of her ideas planned out: why she was starting the club, who would be the target audience, who would serve as volunteer advisor. Rodriguez asked Business Teacher Deana Marie Balas, who teaches Fashion Merchandising, to serve as the club’s advisor and Balas agreed. Then she met with Principal Kavcak. 

Rodriguez’s next step was to find people interested in the club. The club fair got her the most publicity. She had also made a Google form and posted it on her social media to reach students with similar interests. 

“During quarantine, I really started to get inspired by fashion, along with many of my peers. A lot of kids opened up and are now showing their style,” Rodriguez said. “After seeing so many students show their style, I was even more inspired to start the club.”

Walking the halls of Warren Hills, Rodriquez said she saw  many students participating in  fashion trends, from vintage styles like the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s clothing.   Seeing the range of styles, she wanted the Fashion Club members to be free to express their own.

 “The main goal is to be a safe space for kids to come and express themselves, somewhere for kids to go and make new friendships with others like them. Fashion is one of those things that you can get made fun of for wearing what you love,” she said. “No one in our club judges you. It’s a very safe, open space. Because everyone involved has their own personal style, they are super accepting and friendly.”

Rodriguez said she also hoped to develop networking skills and exploration of the fashion industry, how to run a business, and focus on career paths.

“I’ve always been interested in fashion and right now I’m looking to pursue a career in the future,” she said. “That was definitely one of my biggest inspirations for starting this club. I wanted to have a background before college and some experience with it all, too.”

Balas agreed that Fashion Club is a great way to interact with those who have similar interests while exploring the fashion industry. 

“I love to see the students so passionate about fashion. Fashion Club provides the members with a safe space to showcase their personal style and talk with like minded students to explore new trends,” Balas said. “Their styles are so unique. I love how all of the members are so open and accepting of one another. We have freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors as members and I think it’s a great opportunity for our upperclassmen to be role models for the younger students.”